Seiko Epson Corporation

Atsushi Yamazaki

Tomoyuki Furuhata

Nobutoshi Otsuka

Ayao Ogawa

Kazuaki Morozumi

Kiyoshi Suyama

A method of controlling an ink jet recording apparatus ensures safety in replacing main tanks or the like and at the same time enables stable supply of ink from main tanks to sub-tanks. The apparatus includes a main tank having an information storage section and accommodated in a pressure tank, a sub-tank communicating with an ink jet head for storing ink, a tank-accommodating block for accommodating the main tank, and a control section capable of storing ink information. Valve control is performed in response to respective signals indicative of an ink shortage condition and an ink fill-up condition of the sub-tank, to thereby supply ink to the sub-tank. During operation of the apparatus, in response to a signal indication of opening of a door of the tank-accommodating block, the driving of a pressure source for pressurizing the pressure tank is stopped and the inside of the pressure tank is opened to the atmosphere. At the same time, ink information stored in the control section is written into the storage section of the main tank.

Method of controlling ink jet recording apparatus

Embodiments include a semiconductor device having a non-volatile memory transistor, the semiconductor device including a plurality of field effect transistors operated at a plurality of different voltage levels. The semiconductor device has a memory region , and first second and third transistor regions and respectively including field effect transistors that operate at different voltage levels. The memory region includes a split-gate non-volatile memory transistor . The first transistor region includes a first voltage-type transistor that operates at a first voltage level. The second transistor region includes a second voltage-type transistor that operates at a to second voltage level. The third transistor region includes a third voltage-type transistor that operates at a third voltage level. The second voltage-type transistor has a gate insulation layer that is formed from at least two insulation layers and . The insulation layer is formed in the same step in which a gate insulation layer of the first voltage-type transistor is formed.

Semiconductor devices having a non-volatile memory transistor

There is provided a printing apparatus which is capable of increasing the printing speed by employing a multi-head structure while maintaining or enhancing print quality. The printing apparatus prints on a print medium by using N print heads, where N is an integer equal to or larger than 2, assuming that two axes orthogonal to each other on a two-dimensional rectangular coordinate system are set to an X axis and a Y axis, each of the print heads being capable of printing M dots in a direction along the Y axis simultaneously, where M is an integer equal to or larger than 3, and at the same capable of printing M dot lines each extending in a direction along the X axis, by relative scan on the print medium in the direction along the X axis, the M dot lines being arranged side by side in the direction along the Y axis. At least two print heads of the N print heads are arranged in a manner such that selected ones of the M dot lines that can be printed by one of the at least two print heads overlap selected ones of the M dot lines that can be printed by another of the at least two print heads.

Printing apparatus

Embodiments relate to a non-volatile semiconductor memory device in which the interface state between the tunnel insulation layer and the floating gate and the interface state between the tunnel insulation layer and the control gate are lower, the operation characteristics are stable, and the data writing/erasing cycle life is long. A non-volatile semiconductor memory device (memory transistor) may include a non-volatile semiconductor memory device with a split-gate structure having a source , a drain , a gate insulation layer , a floating gate , an intermediate insulation layer that functions as a tunnel insulation layer, and a control gate . The intermediate insulation layer is composed of at least three insulation layers and . The first and the second outermost layers and of the three insulation layers respectively contact the floating gate and the control gate , and are composed of silicon oxide layers that are formed by a thermal oxidation method. A selective oxide insulation layer is formed by a selective oxidation method on the floating gate . A silicon oxide layer is formed by a CVD method between the first and the second outermost layers and

Non-volatile semiconductor memory devices

Embodiments include a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device including a plurality of non-volatile memory transistors that include field effect transistors operated at a plurality of different voltage levels. The method includes the following steps: (a) forming a gate insulation layer and a floating gate of a non-volatile memory transistor on a silicon substrate in a memory region (b) forming, on the wafer, a first silicon oxide layer L by a thermal oxidation method and a second silicon oxide layer L by a CVD method; (c) removing the first and the second silicon oxide layers in the first transistor region; and (d) forming a silicon oxide layer L on the wafer by a thermal oxidation method. The silicon oxide layer formed in step (d) compose at least a portion of a gate insulation layer of a first voltage-type transistor and a gate insulation layer of a second voltage-type transistor.

Methods for manufacturing semiconductor devices having a non-volatile memory transistor

There is provided an ink cartridge that is capable of supplying a pigment-based ink and at the same time suppressing the mixing of a sedimentary ink into the supplied pigment-based ink, or suppressing the generation of the sedimentary ink even when left unused, or removing the sedimentary ink by initial delivery of the ink after the cartridge is left unused, thereby reducing unevenness of printing. An ink reservoir holds an ink absorbent material therein for storage of the pigment-based ink. An ink delivery block is formed at a lower portion of the ink reservoir, and has a communication passage formed therethrough such that it extends from an outside of the ink reservoir up to an inner opening of the communication passage opening into an inside of the ink reservoir, for communication between the outside and the inside of the ink reservoir. The sedimentary ink is suppressed from flowing to the inner opening.

Growing community of inventors

Sakata, Japan

Atsushi Yamazaki