Abstract: An image forming apparatus changes over an electric potential on an image bearing member in response to an attenuation region in which a remaining potential on a developing member is attenuating after a developing bias applied to the developing member has been turned off after completion of an image forming operations. Accordingly, it is possible to mitigate adherence of developer due to a large potential difference between the developing member and the image bearing member.

Abstract: A substrate treatment apparatus is disclosed. The substrate treatment apparatus includes: a cassette loading portion on which a cassette for containing a substrate is loaded when the cassette is carried to/from outside of the substrate treatment apparatus; a substrate treatment portion for performing a treatment on the substrate; a substrate carrying portion for carrying the substrate in the cassette loaded on the cassette loading portion to the substrate treatment portion, and carrying the substrate that has been subjected to the treatment by the substrate treatment portion to the cassette on the cassette loading portion; a vacant cassette loading portion on which the cassette caused to be vacant by carrying the substrate to the substrate treatment portion is temporarily loaded; and a vacant cassette transfer mechanism for transferring the vacant cassette between the vacant cassette loading portion and the cassette loading portion.

Abstract: In the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device that has on a semiconductor substrate first and second transistor groups having different operating voltages respectively, the first transistor group having a first gate electrode, the second transistor group having a second gate electrode, the method including the steps of: forming the silicide layer on the first gate electrode of the first transistor group after setting a height of the first gate electrode smaller than a height of a dummy gate electrode formed in a dummy gate part; and forming a gate forming trench by removing the dummy gate part after forming an interlayer insulating film that covers a silicide layer and planarizing a surface of the interlayer insulating film.

Abstract: A solid state imaging device having a back-illuminated type structure in which a lens is formed on the back side of a silicon layer with a light-receiving sensor portion being formed thereon. Insulating layers are buried into the silicon layer around an image pickup region, with the insulating layer being buried around a contact layer that connects an electrode layer of a pad portion and an interconnection layer of the surface side. A method of manufacturing such a solid-state imaging device is also provided.

Abstract: A cassette waiting block is connected to a transfer in/out block of a coating and developing treatment system, and in the cassette waiting block, a cassette transfer in/out unit, a cassette waiting unit, a cassette delivery unit, and a substrate processing unit are provided. In the cassette waiting block, a cassette transfer unit for transferring the cassette between the cassette transfer in/out unit, the cassette waiting unit, and the cassette deliver unit, and a transfer unit for transferring the substrate between the cassette in the cassette waiting unit and the substrate processing unit are provided. Each cassette waiting unit has an opening mechanism for opening a port of the cassette.

Abstract: The present invention provides ?-polylysine represented by formula (1), having a polyorganosiloxane group introduced into the molecule, and a process for production of the ?-polylysine, in which the formula (1) is defined in the specification. The invention further provides an antimicrobial agent comprising an amino group-containing antimicrobial polymer having a polyorganosiloxane group introduced into the molecule, and an antimicrobial resin composition comprising an antimicrobial agent above and a resin.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus having improved installability and operability. The image forming apparatus has an operation unit thereof disposed on an arm extending from the apparatus and pivotable around a support member in substantially the horizontal direction, and has sensors for detecting the pivot position of the operation unit. An initial-screen setting screen determined based on the pivot position of the operation unit detected by the sensors is displayed on the operation unit.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus has: a setting unit; a sheet conveying unit; a reading unit which can read an image of the sheet conveyed onto the setting unit by the sheet conveying unit and can read the image of the sheet set onto the setting unit; and an abutting unit which abuts an edge of the sheet which is set onto the setting unit, said edge of the sheet crosses a sheet conveying direction of the sheet conveying unit. The abutting unit is provided at a position where it is not come into contact with the sheet conveyed by the sheet conveying unit.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus includes a containing device for containing waste toner which is recovered, and a near-end position detecting device that detects that the waste toner is at a near-end position in the containing device, and a judgment feature that the waste toner is full based on image judgement means for judging whether the container after detecting means detects that an amount of toner in the container is full of toner, based on image information of an image formed on a recording material and the adjustment by the adjusting means.

Abstract: Provided is an image reader including: a first reading device for reading an image on one side of a document moving on a transparent glass plate; a second reading device as a movable reading device, for reading one of an image on another side of the document moving on the transparent glass plate and an image on another side of the document remaining stationary on the transparent glass plate; and a show-through preventing member for preventing show-through of the document at a first position opposed to the first reading device, characterized in that the show-through preventing member is provided movably from the first position opposed to the first reading device to a second position in which reading of an image by the second reading device is prevented from being hindered.

Abstract: The invention is to stabilize an amount of application of a glue to sheets, to stabilize adhesive force between the sheets, and to further improve the productivity of a glued sheet bundle. A sheet processing apparatus includes a processing tray 130 that stacks a sheet discharged by a pair of discharge rollers, an attitude changing unit 150 that displaces the aligned sheet bundle on the processing tray 130 to partially expose sheet surfaces, an adhesive agent delivery device 160 that applies a glue to the exposed parts of the sheet surfaces of the displaced sheet bundle on the processing tray 130, and a sheet bundle aligning portion such as aligning plates 140 and 141 that aligns the glued sheet bundle.

Abstract: The invention is to provide a miniaturized sheet processing apparatus in that a conveying length a conveying distance need not be increased even though the number of sheets per bundle increases. A glue applying bookbinder that partially glues sheets and performs a pressing process to form a sheet bundle. The glue applying bookbinder includes a processing tray that stacks sheets, a glue applying portion that applies a glue on the sheets on the processing tray, and pressing portions that press the sheets on the processing tray. The glue applying portion is arranged such that the glue applying portion can be moved from a first standby position outside the sheets stacked on the stacking portion to a second standby position, different from the first standby position, outside the sheets through an upper surface of the sheets, and the pressing portions are moved integrally with the glue applying portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus for carrying out an image forming process with a detachably mountable image forming unit mounted thereon, when the mounting of the image forming unit has been detected, whether the mounted image forming unit is a new one is discriminated. Then, unit control information held by an information holding portion for holding unit control information corresponding to the image forming unit is updated on the basis of the results of discrimination at the last time and this time. By such a construction, image formation becomes executable on the mounted image forming unit always in an optimized state.

Abstract: A substrate processing system of the present invention includes a transfer-in/out section for transferring-in/out a substrate and a processing section for performing a plurality of processing and treatments on the substrate, in which a throughput of substrate processing at a pre-stage performed from when the substrate is transferred in from the transfer-in/out section to when the substrate is transferred out to the external apparatus is set higher than a throughput of substrate processing at a post-stage performed from when the substrate is returned from the external apparatus into the processing section to when the substrate is returned into the transfer-in/out section.

Abstract: A sheet discharging apparatus has a sheet conveying path on which a sheet is conveyed, a discharge port for discharging therethrough the sheet conveyed on the sheet conveying path, a discharging tray on which the sheet discharged from the discharge port is stacked, and a rigidity heightening device provided on the discharge port for heightening a rigidity of the sheet discharged. The rigidity heightening device heightens a rigidity of the sheet at a beginning of discharge of the sheet from the discharge port, and weakens the rigidity of the sheet in a course of discharge of the sheet from the discharge port so that the sheet is discharged onto the discharging tray in such a state that the sheet hangs down.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus including an image heater for heating an image on a recording material in a nip portion, an air blower for blowing air toward an air blowing port to cool a predetermined area of the image heater, and a shutter for opening an closing the air blowing port, wherein when recording materials change in width in the course of continuously executing an image heating process accompanied by a cooling operation, the shutter is kept opened until the number of recording materials after the change reaches a predetermined number, whereby the frequency of the driving of the shutter for the air blowing port when small size recording materials and large size recording materials are mixed-loaded and passed is reduced to thereby achieve the longer life of a shutter driving portion, the electric power saving of the apparatus and a reduction in opening-closing noise.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus that is capable of normally performing second side printing on a transfer material, even if the transfer material put on standby after completion of first side printing is pulled out by a user. A transfer material having image formed on its first side is fed until it is partly exposed to the outside of a printer, and is then fed to a refeeding path in the printer and further fed to a standby position prior to image formation on the second side of the transfer material. When it is detected that the transfer material caused to stop at the standby position is pulled out by a user, a warning to stop pulling out the transfer material is given to the user.

Abstract: A substrate polishing method, a semiconductor device and a fabrication method for a semiconductor device are disclosed by which high planarization polishing can be achieved. In the substrate polishing method, two or more different slurries formed from ceria abrasive grains having different BET values from each other are used to carry out two or more stages of chemical-mechanical polishing processing of a polishing object oxide film on a substrate to flatten the polishing object film.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus changes over an electric potential on an image bearing member in response to an attenuation region in which a remaining potential on a developing member is attenuating after a developing bias applied to the developing member has been turned off after completion of an image forming operations. Accordingly, it is possible to mitigate adherence of developer due to a large potential difference between the developing member and the image bearing member.