Citizen Watch Company, Ltd.

Empire Technology Development LLC

Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.

Nippon Soda Co., Ltd.

Nikon Corporation

Kri International, Inc.

Motoyuki Toki

Mamoru Aizawa

Yorinobu Yamada

Shinichi Sakamaki

Yukimi Takahashi

Nobuo Kimura

Toshimi Fukui

Akiji Higuchi

Yoshitaka Fujita

Akira Tanaka

Tetsuo Hattori

Tomoya Hidaka

Masahiro Nawa

Kazuo Ono

Norifumi Nakamoto

Tokio Yoshimitsu

Akinori Hibino

Yoshihide Sawa

Hidekazu Takano

Kouichi Yamaguchi

Takamitsu Fujii

Naoko Asakuma

Sayoko Tanaka

Hiroyuki Takeda

Tadao Ohnaka

Yuen C Tak

Masumi Honda

Yang Wu

A cell cultivating platform includes a substrate having a surface, at least one actuator moveable relative to the substrate, and a deformable material layer positioned above at least a portion of the supporting surface and the at least one actuator. The deformable material layer positioned opposite the substrate surface includes a biocompatible supportive surface suitable for supporting cultivated cells. The supportive surface deforms or otherwise deflects in response to activation of the at least one actuator, effectively releasing at least a portion of the cultured cells from the supportive surface. Suitable actuators include piezoelectric actuators that can be selectively energized according to one or more patterns to facilitate separation of cells from the supportive surface. Such activation cycles can be repeated.

Method and system for cell and tissue cultivation

The methods, devices, and/or compositions described herein can be used to reduce variations, such as spatial and temporal variations, in luminance intensity. Luminance variation is reduced by varying some aspect of transmittance with respect to the intensity of light.

Illumination control

The invention provides dispersoids having metal-oxygen groups which are suitable for the production of metal oxide thin-films at a low temperature of 200&#xb0; C. or below and for the production of homogeneous organic-inorganic hybrid materials. The invention also provides metal oxide thin-films and organic-inorganic hybrid materials endowed with various capabilities, particularly organic-inorganic hybrid materials having a high refractive index and high transparency. Use is made of a dispersoid having metal-oxygen bonds which is obtained by mixing a metal compound having at least three hydrolyzable groups with at least 0.5 mole but less than 2 moles of water per mole of the metal compound in an organic solvent, in the absence of an acid, a base and/or a dispersion stabilizer, and at a temperature at or below the temperature at which the metal compound begins to hydrolyze, then raising the temperature to at least the temperature at which hydrolysis begins.

Dispersoid having metal-oxygen bonds, metal oxide film, and monomolecular film

A dispersed ingredient having metal-oxygen bonds which is obtained by hydrolyzing a metal alkoxide in an organic solvent in the absence of an acid, a base, and/or a dispersion stabilizer, either with 0.5 to less than 1 mol of water per mol of the metal alkoxide or at &#x2212;20&#xb0; C. or lower with 1.0 to less than 2.0 mol of water per mol of the metal alkoxide. In the organic solvent, the dispersed ingredient is stably dispersed without aggregating. Use of the dispersed ingredient enables a thin metal oxide film and a homogeneous organic/inorganic composite to be produced at a temperature as low as 200&#xb0; C. or below.

Process for preparing dispersed ingredient having metal-oxygen bonds

A ZrO&#x2014;AlOcomposite ceramic material having high mechanical strength and toughness as well as excellent wear resistance and hardness is provided. This ceramic material includes a first phase of ZrOgrains containing 10 to 12 mol % of CeOas a stabilizer and having an average grain size of 0.1 &#x3bc;m to 1 &#x3bc;m, and a second phase of AlOgrains having an average grain size of 0.1 to 0.5 &#x3bc;m. The ceramic material has a mutual nano-composite structure formed under a condition that a content of the second phase in the ceramic material is within a range of 20 to 60 vol % such that the AlOgrains are dispersed within said ZrOgrains at a first dispersion ratio of 2% or more, and preferably 4% or more, which is defined as a ratio of the number of the AlOgrains dispersed within the ZrOgrains relative to the number of the entire AlOgrains dispersed in the ceramic material, and the ZrOgrains are dispersed within the AlOgrains at a second dispersion ratio of 1% or more, which is defined as a ratio of the number of the ZrOgrains dispersed within the AlOgrains relative to the number of the entire ZrOgrains dispersed in the ceramic material.

[object Object]

A ferroelectric element comprising a ferroelectric material containing at least two metals, the ferroelectric element having been produced by a process including a sol-gel process in the presence of a thickener and/or an association preventive from aqueous solutions of respective salts of the metals. The ferroelectric element is advantageous in that the handling of starting compounds and the production of the ferroelectric element are easy, the storage stability of the starting compound solution is good, the cost is low, the ferroelectric element can be formed as a thin layer, particles on the surface of the thin layer are fine and dense, and, hence, the surface smoothness is good. The ferroelectric element is excellent also in piezoelectric properties and therefore can be advantageously used as a piezoelectric element in a piezoelectric ink jet head.

Ferroelectric element and process for producing the same

A ferroelectric element, having a ferroelectric material containing at least two metals, the ferroelectric element having been produced by a process including the steps of: providing alkoxides of the respective metals as starting compounds; hydrolyzing the metal alkoxides in the presence of a catalytic amount of a protonic acid to increase the molecular weight; and adding a film-forming polymer material to the sol-like solution prepared in the step of increasing the molecular weight to prepare a sol-like ferroelectric precursor solution. The ferroelectric element can be formed in a thick film form without creating any cracks. It can be advantageously used as a piezoelectric element in a piezoelectric ink jet head.

Ferroelectric element process for producing the same and ink jet head

A ferroelectric element, including a ferroelectric material containing at least two metals, the ferroelectric element having been produced by a process including the steps of: providing alkoxides of the respective metals as starting compounds; hydrolyzing the metal alkoxides in the presence of a catalytic amount of a protonic acid to increase the molecular weight; and adding a film-forming polymer material to the sol-like solution prepared in the step of increasing the molecular weight to prepare a sol-like ferroelectric precursor solution. The ferroelectric element can be formed in a thick film form without creating any cracks. It can be advantageously used as a piezoelectric element in a piezoelectric ink jet head.

Ferroelectric element, process for producing the same, and ink jet head

The invention relates to a method for forming a transparent conductive thin film of In,O,&mdash;SnO,on a surface of a plastics substrate of less heat resistance other than that of glass, ceramics, etc. When an In,O,&mdash;SnO,precursor sol is produced by hydrolyzing and polymerizing a solution containing indium alkoxide and tin alkoxide, either tri-s-butoxyindium or tri-t-butoxyindium is used as the indium alkoxide. Water is added to the solution containing indium alkoxide and tin alkoxide at a temperature of not higher than &minus;20&deg; C. The obtained In,O,&mdash;SnO,precursor sol is applied to a surface of a substrate to form a gel film, then the gel film is either irradiated with an ultraviolet beam of which wave length is not longer than 360 nm, or irradiated with an ultraviolet beam of which wave length is not longer than 260 nm and further irradiated with a laser beam of which wave length is not longer than 360 nm, to crystallize the gel forming the thin film, whereby an In,O,&mdash;SnO,thin film having a conductivity is formed on the surface of the substrate.

Method for producing In2O3&mdash;SnO2 precursor sol

A display has a liquid crystal composite layer interposed between a pair of substrates on which electrodes-are formed. The liquid crystal composite layer is comprised of a matrix and liquid crystal droplets dispersed therein. The matrix is composed of an inorganic oxide or its gel of the formula MOx (M: one or more metal elements selected from, La, Y, Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Al, Ga, Ge, Pb or Sb; x: half of the total valence number of the one or more metal elements), or a mixture thereof with an inorganic oxide or its gel of formula ABOx (A: one or more metal elements selected from alkaline earth metals, rare earth metals or Pb; B: one or more metal elements of transition metals; x: a number larger than 0 (zero) and not-larger than 3). A polymer soluble in polar solvent may be added to adjust the dielectric constant of the matrix.

Display and method for producing it

An internal composite layer for a multilayer circuit board, which is composed of an electrically insulating substrate with a copper layer formed thereon and a film of a coupling agent covering the copper layer is fabricated in accordance with the following method. That is, the copper layer is treated with a base or the base and an accelerating agent to supply hydroxyl groups to a surface thereof. Subsequently, thus treated copper layer is coated with the coupling agent, e.g., a silane coupling agent. The coupling agent is chemically bonded to the treated copper layer by the reaction of the hydroxyl groups with the coupling agent, so that an adhesion strength between the copper layer and the coupling agent is remarkably increased. In addition, since it is not necessary for forming a copper oxide layer in the surface of the copper layer, the internal composite layer shows excellent acid resistance without causing a pink-ring which usually occur around a through-hole plating.

Method of fabricating an internal composite layer composed of an

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Kyoto, Japan

Motoyuki Toki