Seiko Epson Corporation

Yasuto Nose

Mitsuro Atobe

Fumiaki Matsushima

Yoshihiro Ono

Mamoru Sugimoto

Takashi Hayashi

Shinichi Kamisuki

Tsutomu Ota

Hidetoshi Yoshitaki

Tatsuro Higashi

Shinichi Yotsuya

Hajime Miyazaki

Nobuo Shimizu

Masaaki Handa

Taisuke Uehara

Tsukasa Muranaka

An information recording disk formed from two substrates with a stepped central opening for receiving a hub within the stepped recess of at least one of the substrates is provided. In one embodiment, the central aperture of the first substrate is larger than the central aperture of the second substrate to form the stepped recess. In another embodiment, at least one substrate has a stepped surface defining a central aperture and a hub structure is mounted within this stepped recess to reduce overall thickness of the disk.

Information recording disk having a stepped central recess and hub

Thin film devices including a film of a functional organic material, inorganic material or mixtures which are either insoluble or sparingly soluble in water, and deposited by electroplating. Particles of the functional material are dispersed in a micelle solution of a surfactant which is oxidizable and reducible by electrolysis in a colloidal state. Thin film devices prepared include color filters, optical recording media, electrochemical photoreceptors, nonlinear switching elements, and other devices requiring thin films of materials which are substantially insoluble in water.

Thin film color filter for liquid crystal display

Information recording disk

A micropump for pumping liquid from an entry channel to an exit channel is disclosed. The micropump is formed in a semiconductor substrate sealed by two glass substrates. The micropump includes first and second chambers and flow channel means coupled between the two chambers. The micropump also includes a valve coupled between the entry channel and the first chamber. The valve includes a flexible valve membrane positioned closer to a second side of the semiconductor substrate than to its first side for causing the valve to be or not to be in contact with the second side of the semiconductor substrate for closing or opening the valve on the glass substrate. Additionally, the micropump includes a diaphragm forming part of a flexible wall of the second chamber and positioned closer to the second side of the semiconductor substrate than to its first side. The diaphragm is responsive to external pressure for causing liquid to be pumped from the entry channel to the exit channel. Thus, the height of the valve is reduced, preventing deformation due to strength such as its own weight and may impact due to a dropping. As a result, the valve sealing is improve on the glass substrate. Therefore, the micropump can accurately discharge a small quantity of liquid.

Micropump with valve structure

Method for forming a thin film device

Thin film device and method of manufacture

A micropump particularly suited for use in the fields of medicine and analysis includes a thin membrane plate sandwiched between a surface plate and a glass-made substrate. The intermediate membrane has an inlet valve and an outlet valve and the glass substrate has an inlet port and an outlet port, respectively connected to the corresponding valves. Between the valves formed in the thin membrane plate by means of etching, there is a diaphragm on which there is a piezoelectric element for detecting behavior of the diaphragm. Another micropump has an upper thin membrane plate member and a lower member. The upper member has the inlet valve and the lower member has the outlet valve. An intermediate glass substrate is inserted between the upper and the lower thin membrane plate member.

Two-valve thin plate micropump

Growing community of inventors

Nagano, Japan

Yasuto Nose