A method for preparing a nucleic acid probe is provided. Subsequently, an outer peripheral portion 7a of a second punch roller 7 on the outer periphery portion 7a of which a punch portion for final forming has been formed is directed toward and pressed against the recess 2\u2032, so as to form a recessed portion 2. A shower head constituting an upper electrode is provided above the mounting table. The resulting alignment mark structure has step features so that the step features can be seen after the opaque material layer covers the alignment mark structure. When the card is flexed, the bridge is biased into contact with the first conductive lead and the second conductive lead thereby completing the circuit. The method can also include compressing a second data record of the flow using the dictionary, where the compressing comprises encoding the second data record according to an encoding template; and exporting the second data record to the collector to be decompressed using the dictionary.