Abstract: After forming a first capacitor hole, first mask material is filled in an upper portion of the first capacitor hole. A second capacitor hole is formed so that it is aligned with the first capacitor hole. After removing the first mask material, a lower electrode is formed in the first and second capacitor holes by one film formation step. After that, a capacitor dielectric film and an upper electrode are sequentially formed on the lower electrode.

Abstract: Provided is a ferroelectric thin film formed on a substrate and having an amount of remanent polarization increased in its entirety. The ferroelectric thin film contains a perovskite-type metal oxide formed on a substrate, the ferroelectric thin film containing a column group formed of multiple columns each formed of a spinel-type metal oxide, in which the column group is in a state of standing in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the substrate, or in a state of slanting at a slant angle in a range of ?10° or more to +10° or less with respect to the perpendicular direction.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a first insulating layer, a capacitor, an adhesive layer, and an intermediate layer. The first insulating layer may include a first insulating film. The first insulating layered structure has a first hole. The capacitor is disposed in the first hole. The capacitor may include bottom and top electrodes and a capacitive insulating film. The capacitive insulating film is sandwiched between the bottom and top electrodes. The adhesive layer contacts with the bottom electrode. The adhesive layer has adhesiveness to the bottom electrode. The intermediate layer is interposed between the adhesive layer and the first insulating film. The intermediate layer contacts with the adhesive layer and with the first insulating film. The intermediate layer has adhesiveness to the adhesive layer and to the first insulating film.

Abstract: A roller shade apparatus for a vehicle includes a shade sheet placed selectively in wound-up and extended states, the wound-up state being established to uncover a light transmitting member mounted to the vehicle when the shade sheet is moved in an opening direction, the extended state being established to shield the light transmitting member when the shade sheet is moved in a closing direction, a pair of guide rails extending in the opening and closing directions, and guide belts slidably supported by respective guide portions of the guide rails along the opening and closing directions and connected to respective side end portions of the shade sheet, wherein each guide belt curved in the width direction includes a convex surface, a central portion of the convex surface is connected to each side end portion, and each guide portion includes a pair of lock portions locking side portions of the guide belt.

Abstract: Provided are a bismuth-based piezoelectric material whose insulation property is improved while its performance as a piezoelectric body is not impaired and a piezoelectric device using the piezoelectric material. The piezoelectric material includes a perovskite-type metal oxide represented by the following general formula (1): Bix(Fe1-yCoy)O3??(1) where 0.95?x?1.25 and 0?y?0.30, and a root mean square roughness Rq (nm) of a surface of the piezoelectric material satisfies a relationship of 0<Rq?25y+2 (0?y?0.30).

Abstract: A side tube includes a tube head, a funnel-shaped connection neck, and a tube main body, which are arranged along a tube axis and which are integrated together into the side tube. The size of a cross section of the tube head perpendicular to the tube axis is larger than the size of a cross section of the tube main body perpendicular to the tube axis. The radius of curvature of rounded corners of the tube head is smaller than the radius of curvature of rounded corners of the tube main body. The length of the tube head along the tube axis is shorter than the length of the tube main body along the tube axis. One surface of a faceplate is connected to the tube head. A photocathode is formed on the surface of the faceplate in its area located inside the tube head.

Abstract: In an exhaust emission control system of an internal combustion engine, a NOx selective reduction catalyst is disposed in an engine exhaust passage, and an aqueous solution of urea stored in an aqueous-urea tank is supplied to the NOx selective reduction catalyst so as to selectively reduce NOx. A NOx sensor is provided in the engine exhaust passage downstream of the NOx selective reduction catalyst for detecting the NOx conversion efficiency of the NOx selective reduction catalyst, and the concentration of aqueous urea in the aqueous-urea tank is estimated from the detected NOx conversion efficiency. The exhaust emission control system and method make it possible to detect the concentration of aqueous urea at reduced cost.

Abstract: An optical disk playback device includes a first control means for holding difference information which the first control means generates by, during playback of an optical disk 10, performing a comparison between track start point position information detected and track start point position information acquired with reference to contents information recorded in the above-mentioned optical disk, and a second control means for, when receiving a search request from outside the device, correcting the above-mentioned track start point position information on the basis of the above-mentioned held difference information.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a semiconductor device is disclosed. The semiconductor device includes a capacitor and a support insulator. The capacitor includes a cylindrical electrode. The cylindrical electrode comprises upper and lower sections. The lower section has a roughened inner surface and an outer surface supported by the support insulator. The upper section upwardly projects from the support insulator. An initial cylindrical electrode is formed, wherein the initial cylindrical electrode comprises an initial upper section and an initial lower section which correspond to the upper section and the lower section of the cylindrical electrode, respectively. The initial upper section is supported by the support insulator. Specific impurities are implanted into the initial upper section, wherein the specific impurities serve to prevent the initial upper section from being roughened.

Abstract: Characterized by checking, after stopping a stocker driving motor, whether a target pattern can be detected at the stopping position or not; and by reducing, if the target pattern cannot be detected at the stopping position, the driving force of the stocker driving motor during retrying operation carried out by reversing the rotation of the stocker driving motor.

Abstract: A disc playback apparatus characterized in, when receiving either a fast-forward playback request or a fast-backward playback request, calculating a target address by setting up a position which is close to a position at which information being read from a memory and being played back is stored in a disc as a movement destination of an optical pickup, and moving the optical pickup to the above-mentioned target address.

Abstract: A micro-oscillation element includes a movable main section, a first frame and a second frame, and a first connecting section that connects the movable main section and the first frame and defines a first axis of rotation for a first rotational operation of the movable main section with respect to the first frame. The element further includes a second connecting section that connects the first frame and the second frame and defines a second axis of rotation for a second rotational operation of the first frame and the movable main section with respect to the second frame. A first drive mechanism is provided for generating a driving force for the first rotational operation. A second drive mechanism is provided for generating a driving force for the second rotational operation. The first axis of rotation and the second axis of rotation are not orthogonal.

Abstract: A semiconductor storage device is manufactured by the following steps. A cylindrical hole is formed in an interlayer insulating film. Then, a multilayer conductive layer including a first sublayer and a second sublayer is formed over the entire surface of the insulating interlayer including the internal surface of the hole. The second sublayer has a higher nitrogen content than the first sublayer. A cup-like lower electrode is formed by reactive ion etching of the conductive layer under conditions that the second sublayer is etched faster than the first sublayer, so that the conductive layer remains only on the internal surface of the hole, and so that the upper edge of the remaining conductive layer forms an angle of 45° or less with the internal wall of the hole. Then, a capacitor insulating layer and an upper electrode are formed in that order on the lower electrode.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine has a separate exhaust passage for each one of banks. An exhaust purifying catalyst is provided in each exhaust passage. The mass flow rates G1, G2 of exhaust gas that flow through the exhaust passages are individually estimated. The flow rate of exhaust gas is individually adjusted per each bank by controlling the operation of each one of exhaust gas recirculation valves such that the difference between the estimated mass flow rates G1, G2 is decreased.

Abstract: In an internal combustion engine, an NOx selective reduction catalyst (15) is arranged in the engine exhaust passage and a urea aqueous solution stored in a urea aqueous solution tank (20) is fed to the NOx selective reduction catalyst (15) where the NOx is selectively reduced. Opening and closing of the urea aqueous solution refill port (40) of the urea aqueous solution tank (20) are detected and it is judged if the urea aqueous solution is refilled in the urea aqueous solution tank (20). When it is judged that the NOx purification rate has fallen to an allowable level or less at the time of engine operation right after the urea aqueous solution is refilled in the urea aqueous solution tank (20), it is judged that the refilled urea aqueous solution is abnormal.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine, in which an NOx selective reducing catalyst (15) is arranged inside an engine exhaust passage, and aqueous urea stored in an aqueous urea tank (20) is fed to the NOx selective reducing catalyst (15) to selectively reduce the NOx. The aqueous urea tank (20) comprises a main tank (20a) and a sub tank (20b) arranged inside the main tank (20a). The aqueous urea in the sub tank (20b) is sent to an aqueous urea feed valve (17). When the aqueous urea tank (20) should be refilled with aqueous urea, the sub tank (20b) is refilled with aqueous urea. It is detected by a level sensor (40) if the aqueous urea in the aqueous urea tank (20) is refilled. When it is judged that the NOx purification rate falls below an allowable level at the time of engine operation right after the aqueous urea in the aqueous urea tank (20) has been refilled, it is judged that the refilled aqueous urea is abnormal.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing neuraminic acid derivatives is provided, also synthetic intermediates of the neuraminic acid derivatives and methods for their manufacture, and neuraminic acid derivatives having high purity. [Means for Solution] A synthetic intermediate compound represented by the formula (7) is provided: [wherein R3 represents alkyl; R4 and R5 each represents H, alkyl, phenyl, or together represent tetramethylene, pentamethylene, oxo].

Abstract: In a memory cell area of a semiconductor device, first, second, and third inter-layer insulating films respectively cover a cell transistor, a bit wiring line, and a capacitor which are connected to each other. In an adjacent peripheral circuit area, a peripheral-circuit transistor is covered with the first inter-layer insulating film, a first-layer wiring line connected to the peripheral-circuit transistor is provided on the first inter-layer insulating film and covered with the second inter-layer insulating film, and a second-layer wiring line is provided on the third inter-layer insulating film. In the memory cell area, a landing pad is provided on the second inter-layer insulating film and between the capacitor and a contact plug for connecting the capacitor to the cell transistor. An assist wiring line connected to the first-layer wiring line is provided on the main surface of the second inter-layer insulating film, on which the landing pad is provided.

Abstract: A file-based recordable disc playback apparatus includes a signal decrypting means 4 for decrypting a signal read from a recordable disc 1, a subcode analyzing means 5 for extracting subcode data from the decrypted signal, and for analyzing the subcode data, a decoding means 6 for decoding the decrypted signal, a file system analyzing means 10 for analyzing a file system on the basis of a decoded output, a TOC information processing means 11 for analyzing TOC data from a subcode analyzed output, a session information processing means 12 for processing session information on the basis of the analyzed data, a memory for storing various data from the above-mentioned analyzing means 10 and processing means 11 and 12, and an external interface 14 for changing a procedure for analyzing the file system according to an instruction from outside the apparatus.

Abstract: A power seat slide apparatus for a vehicle includes a first rail adapted to be fixed to a vehicle floor, a second rail adapted to be fixed to a vehicle seat and slidably supported relative to the first rail, a screw shaft screwed to a nut member which is fixed to the first rail, the screw shaft including an end portion and a stepped portion, a washer engaged with the stepped portion of the screw shaft, a gear member to which the end portion of the screw shaft is inserted, a fastening member provided at the end portion of the screw shaft, and a gear box fixed to an end of the second rail. The gear box includes a support bracket, a gear housing, and a plate. The stepped portion of the screw shaft is arranged in such a manner that the washer is connected thereto in the gear housing.