Abstract: There is provided an inkjet apparatus capable of adjusting pressure in an inkjet head to a predetermined slightly negative pressure without limitations on the installation location of a pressure adjustment unit and without stopping the flow of liquid. The inkjet apparatus includes an inkjet head for discharging ink droplets and an ink tank for retaining liquid to the inkjet head. The inkjet apparatus further includes a liquid feeding unit communicating with the inkjet head and configured to feed the liquid in the ink tank to the inkjet head by reducing the pressure in the inkjet head, an open-close valve configured to open or close a flow channel connecting the inkjet head and the liquid feeding unit, and a pressure adjustment unit configured to open or close the open-close valve according to a pressure difference between inside and outside of the flow channel to adjust the pressure in the inkjet head.

Abstract: A positioning apparatus for a moving object includes: a driving unit including a stator and a movable element connected to the moving object via a connecting member; a chassis which includes an opening which allows movement of the connecting member upon driving of the movable element, and an exhaust outlet which includes end exhaust outlets arranged at first and second ends of the driving range of the movable element; an exhaust unit which exhausts a gas in the chassis; and a controller which controls the exhaust unit so that an amount of exhaust from the end exhaust outlet arranged at the first end becomes larger when the movable element is driven toward the first end on a side of the first end of the driving range than when the movable element is positioned at the center of the driving range.

Abstract: A liquid discharging apparatus in which a liquid is flowed in one direction in a circulation flow path at the time of non-discharge, and the flow path is refilled with liquid from both directions at the time of discharge. The liquid discharging apparatus includes a pressure adjustment unit that satisfies a condition “Pu>Pd, Pn>?Pd”, where Pu denotes a fluid pressure at a predetermined position on the upstream side of a discharge port, Pd denotes a fluid pressure at a predetermined position on the downstream side thereof, and Pn denotes a pressure equivalent to a capillary force of the discharge port for absorbing the liquid from the flow path into the discharge port immediately after the liquid has been discharged therefrom.

Abstract: An imprint apparatus of the present invention that molds and cures an imprint material on a substrate using a mold to form a pattern on the substrate. The imprint apparatus includes a supply unit configured to supply a gas into a gap between the imprint material on the substrate and the mold. The supply unit is configured to supply a mixed gas in which a permeable gas, which permeates at least one of the mold, the imprint material and the substrate, and a condensable gas, which is liquefied under a pressure generated by the molding, is mixed with each other.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus which projects a pattern of an original onto a substrate via a liquid to expose the substrate, includes a substrate stage which holds the substrate and moves, the substrate stage including a peripheral member arranged to surround a region in which the substrate is arranged, the peripheral member having a holding surface which holds the liquid, wherein a trench which traps the liquid is formed in the peripheral member, and the trench is arranged to surround the region in which the substrate is arranged, and includes a bottom portion, an inner-side surface extending from the holding surface toward the bottom portion, and an outer-side surface, the inner-side surface having a slant which increases stepwise or continuously in a direction away from the holding surface, and the outer-side surface is provided with a spattering preventing portion which prevents spattering of the liquid trapped by the trench.

Abstract: A liquid discharging apparatus in which a liquid is flowed in one direction in a circulation flow path at the time of non-discharge, and the flow path is refilled with liquid from both directions at the time of discharge. The liquid discharging apparatus includes a pressure adjustment unit that satisfies a condition “Pu>Pd, Pn>?Pd”, where Pu denotes a fluid pressure at a predetermined position on the upstream side of a discharge port, Pd denotes a fluid pressure at a predetermined position on the downstream side thereof, and Pn denotes a pressure equivalent to a capillary force of the discharge port for absorbing the liquid from the flow path into the discharge port immediately after the liquid has been discharged therefrom.

Abstract: The semiconductor device comprises a gate insulating film including a first dielectric film of HfxAl1-xOy (0.7<x<1) formed over a semiconductor substrate, and a second dielectric film different from the first dielectric film formed over the first dielectric film; and a gate electrode formed over the gate insulating film and including a polycrystalline silicon film, whereby the local abnormal growth of the polycrystalline silicon film in the process of forming the polycrystalline silicon film is prevented, and the gate leakage current can be much decreased.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus, exposing a substrate via liquid so as to transfer a pattern of a mask onto the substrate, includes a stage configured to move while holding the substrate. The stage includes a substrate supporting portion on which the substrate is disposed, a supporting surface disposed outside the substrate supporting portion configured to support the liquid together with the substrate, and a frame portion formed so as to surround the supporting surface. The frame portion includes a depression and a member whose top surface is located in a plane including the supporting surface.

Abstract: An ink jet printing apparatus can prevent erroneous selection of the print mode, which may degrade the image quality, without imposing any special burden on the user. Specifically, a dot is formed on a print medium to sense the ability of the print medium to absorb printing ink. The ink jet printing apparatus has a reading device for reading the dot and a print mode selecting device for setting the optimum print mode from a plurality of print modes according to the shape of the dot.

Abstract: A liquid discharge method allowing a liquid inside a flow path to be heated by a heat generating element (2), thereby to generate a bubble by using a liquid discharge head including an orifice plate (4) having a discharge port (5), heat generating elements symmetrically disposed on the surface opposite to the liquid discharge surface of the orifice plate with the discharge port as a center, and the flow path communicating with the discharge port, and allowing liquid discharged from the discharge port by a volume change accompanied with a generation of bubble, wherein bubble is allowed to advance into the discharge port, and a top end of bubble is allowed to reach at least up to liquid discharge surface (8) of the orifice plate, and a columnar liquid inside the discharge port sandwiched between bubbles is separated by a contraction force caused by a surface tension toward the center of the discharge port.

Abstract: A gate insulating film and a gate electrode are formed on a silicon substrate. The gate insulating film contains at least hafnium, oxygen, fluorine, and nitrogen. The fluorine concentration is high in the vicinity of an interface with the silicon substrate and progressively decreases with decreasing distance from the gate electrode. The nitrogen concentration is high in the vicinity of an interface with the gate electrode and progressively decreases with decreasing distance from the silicon substrate. The fluorine concentration in the vicinity of the interface with the silicon substrate is preferably 1×1019 cm?3 or more. The nitrogen concentration in the vicinity of the interface with the gate electrode is preferably 1×1020 cm?3 or more.

Abstract: The objective of the present invention is to provide an inkjet printing apparatus that can reduce the scattering or floating, through the main body of the printing apparatus, of ink mist generated during pre-ejection. To achieve this objective, according to this invention, after a printing unit has completed ink ejection relative to an ink receiving member, and before the printing unit is moved from the position opposite the ink receiving member, an ink mist suction operation is started.

Abstract: An ink jet printing apparatus and an ink jet printing method are provided which, when printing small ink droplets at high resolution, can make white lines caused by an “end dot deflection” less visually conspicuous. To that end, an ink jet print head used has a plurality of nozzle substrates arranged that an overlapping region in which the printable areas of respective nozzle substrates partly overlap is formed. According to a print density to be achieved, each of the nozzles corresponding to the overlapping region is controlled for ejection/non-ejection of ink. With this method, it is possible to print as many dots as most match the intensity of the “end dot deflection” phenomenon that varies according to the print density. This enables a blank line to be filled with an appropriate number of dots at all times, regardless of the width of the blank line.

Abstract: The present invention provides an ink jet printing apparatus that can prevent the erroneous selection of the print mode, which may degrade the image quality, without imposing any special burden on the user. Specifically, the present invention forms a dot on a print medium to sense the ability of the print medium to absorb printing ink. The ink jet printing apparatus has reading devices for reading the dot and print mode selecting devices for setting the optimum print mode from a plurality of print modes according to the shape of the dot.

Abstract: A gate insulating film and a gate electrode are formed on a silicon substrate. The gate insulating film contains at least hafnium, oxygen, fluorine, and nitrogen. The fluorine concentration is high in the vicinity of an interface with the silicon substrate and progressively decreases with decreasing distance from the gate electrode. The nitrogen concentration is high in the vicinity of an interface with the gate electrode and progressively decreases with decreasing distance from the silicon substrate. The fluorine concentration in the vicinity of the interface with the silicon substrate is preferably 1×109 cm?3 or more. The nitrogen concentration in the vicinity of the interface with the gate electrode is preferably 1×1020 cm?3 or more.

Abstract: A gate insulating film and a gate electrode are formed on a silicon substrate. The gate insulating film contains at least hafnium, oxygen, fluorine, and nitrogen. The fluorine concentration is high in the vicinity of an interface with the silicon substrate and progressively decreases with decreasing distance from the gate electrode. The nitrogen concentration is high in the vicinity of an interface with the gate electrode and progressively decreases with decreasing distance from the silicon substrate. The fluorine concentration in the vicinity of the interface with the silicon substrate is preferably 1×1019 cm?3 or more. The nitrogen concentration in the vicinity of the interface with the gate electrode is preferably 1×1020 cm?3 or more.

Abstract: A gate insulating film and a gate electrode are formed on a silicon substrate. The gate insulating film contains at least hafnium, oxygen, fluorine, and nitrogen. The fluorine concentration is high in the vicinity of an interface with the silicon substrate and progressively decreases with decreasing distance from the gate electrode. The nitrogen concentration is high in the vicinity of an interface with the gate electrode and progressively decreases with decreasing distance from the silicon substrate. The fluorine concentration in the vicinity of the interface with the silicon substrate is preferably 1×1019 cm?3 or more. The nitrogen concentration in the vicinity of the interface with the gate electrode is preferably 1×1020 cm?3 or more.

Abstract: A recording apparatus has a recording head with a data generating unit that converts information transmitted from an external device into recording data that matches the configuration of the recording head for recording by the recording head. The recording apparatus has a first power supply circuit for supplying drive power to a drive element that drives by the nozzles of the recording head and a second power supply circuit that drives the heating elements that control recording by the nozzles. As a result, the recording apparatus can provide stable recording, unaffected by any voltage drop in the circuitry that drives the recording head.

Abstract: The semiconductor device comprises a gate insulating film including a first dielectric film of HfxAl1-xOy (0.7<x<1) formed over a semiconductor substrate, and a second dielectric film different from the first dielectric film formed over the first dielectric film; and a gate electrode formed over the gate insulating film and including a polycrystalline silicon film, whereby the local abnormal growth of the polycrystalline silicon film in the process of forming the polycrystalline silicon film is prevented, and the gate leakage current can be much decreased.

Abstract: The semiconductor device comprises a gate insulating film including a first dielectric film of HfxAl1?xOy (0.7<x<1) formed over a semiconductor substrate, and a second dielectric film different from the first dielectric film formed over the first dielectric film; and a gate electrode formed over the gate insulating film and including a polycrystalline silicon film, whereby the local abnormal growth of the polycrystalline silicon film in the process of forming the polycrystalline silicon film is prevented, and the gate leakage current can be much decreased.