Abstract: The invention provides a novel automatic apparatus for the continuous treatment of wafer materials, e.g. of silicon semiconductor, with gas plasma provided with a plural number of the gas plasma reaction chambers, transfer devices for bringing the wafer materials into and out of each of the reaction chambers and automatic control mechanism for controlling the individual parts of the apparatus in linkage operation. The transfer devices are composed of a main transfer conveyor extending in parallel with the array of the reaction chambers and over whole length of the array, a plural number of branched transfer conveyors each connecting one of the reaction chambers with the main transfer conveyor, a mechanism for transferring the wafer between the main transfer conveyor and one of the branched transfer conveyor and a mechanism for bringing the wafer material from the branched transfer conveyor to the gas plasma reaction chamber or vice versa.

Abstract: The invention provides an improved process for providing wirings and electrodes of aluminum film on the surface of a substrate. Instead of the conventional method of directly forming an organic resist layer on the metal film, a remarkable improvement in the fineness and accuracy of patterning is obtained by providing a subsidiary masking layer, mainly composed of silicon dioxide, between the metal film and the organic resist layer; and pattern-wise etching by first etching the subsidiary masking layer through a patterned mask of the organic resist layer with a fluorine-containing etching gas to form a patterned subsidiary masking layer, and then etching the metal film with a chlorine-containing etching gas through the mask of the patterned subsidiary masking layer, followed by final removal of the remaining subsidiary masking layer.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for fine pattern-wise etching of a surface layer on a substrate such as semiconductor silicon wafers in a dry process by use of a gaseous mixture of pentafluorochloroethane and sulfur hexafluoride as the etching gas to support the plasma atmosphere. The inventive method is advantageous in the compatibility of the requirements for a large etching rate and a high precision of the fine patterning in contrast to the generally accepted understanding that these two requirements are not compatible with each other since an etching gas having a high etching rate causes remarkable side etching to decrease the precision of the desired patterning.

Abstract: A composition for ultra-fine pattern formation comprising at least one of acrylic and/or vinyl ketone polymers as the major component and an effective amount of an aromatic azide compound and, in another embodiment, further comprising an effective amount of an organic compound having a vinyl group, and a process for ultra-fine pattern formation therewith. In the process, a required area of a film formed from the composition is irradiated with a corpuscular beam or with electromagnetic wave radiation. The aromatic azide compound or a mixture thereof with the aromatic compound having a vinyl group only in the unexposed areas is subjected to a deactivation treatment within the film, and the unexposed areas of the film are removed with a gas plasma to form an ultra-fine pattern. The composition is suitable for use in the ultra-fine pattern formation of a resist for transistors, integrated circuits (IC), large scale integrated circuits (LSI) or the like in the semiconductor industry.

Abstract: An efficient method is proposed for preventing leaching of contaminants from the surface of a solid, such as sodium ions from the surface of soda glass or nickel, chromium or iron from the surface of stainless steel in order to minimize detrimental contamination of highly pure substances in contact with the solid surface.The effect is basically obtained by providing a coating film of oxidized silicon on to the solid surface and the coating film is formed by applying a coating solution containing a hydroxysilane compound to the surface followed by baking of the coating layer at a temperature not lower than 150.degree. C., the coating solution being prepared by the equilibration reaction of an alkoxysilane with a carboxylic acid and an alcohol, of an acyloxysilane with an alcohol, or of an alkoxysilane with water in an alcohol where the molar ratios of the individual reactants are in the specified ranges.

Abstract: An apparatus for automatic semi-batch sheet treatment of wafers such as high-purity silicon semiconductor wafers by plasma reaction is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a wafer carrying mechanism, a reaction chamber with an opening at the bottom, a wafer table disposed beneath the opening and provided with a sub-table for mounting the wafer, and control devices for driving the above elements in linkage motion. The wafer carrying mechanism is substantially composed of a conveyor for carrying a wafer to be treated, a pair of open-close type wafer carrying wire conveyors which are spaced in parallel at a certain distance and open and close in linkage motion so that the wafer table may pass vertically therethrough to be fixed vacuum-tightly to the reaction chamber, a mechanism for opening and closing the wire conveyors and a treated wafer carrying conveyor. The subtable is vertically movable and capable of passing the wire conveyors when closed.

Abstract: An apparatus for the treatment of semiconductor wafers by plasma reaction is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a first wafer carrying means for a wafer to be treated, a reaction chamber, a second wafer carrying means for a treated wafer, and a control means for driving respective elements thereof in linkage motion. The first wafer carrying means has a first arm type wafer carrying means, which comprises a pair of guide rails, a pair of sliders mounted on the guide rails, respectively, and a pair of first arms for carrying the wafer to be treated. The reaction chamber is provided with a pair of slits for taking the wafer into and out of the reaction chamber, a pair of open-close type vacuum sealing devices mounted on the slits, respectively. Similarly, the second wafer carrying means has a second arm type wafer carrying means.

Abstract: Liquid compositions suitable for providing silica-based coating films on to various substrate surfaces are prepared by the reaction of an alkoxy-containing silane, a lower carboxylic acid and an alcohol in the presence of a reaction accelerator which is an organic acid different from the above mentioned lower carboxylic acid. The reaction proceeds very smoothly even in the absence of any halogen-containing compounds, and the resultant liquid coating compositions are free from the problem of corrosion due to the presence of a halogen-containing ingredient.

Abstract: A liquid coating composition for formation of a transparent conductive film, which comprises a solution of indium nitrate in a .beta.-diketone or a mixture of a .beta.-diketone and another organic solvent or a reaction product of indium nitrate with a .beta.-diketone, an activator and an organic solvent other than a .beta.-diketone, is disclosed.When this coating composition is coated on a substrate and the coated substrate is heat-treated at a temperature higher than about 350.degree. C., there can be obtained a transparent conductive film having excellent transparency, electrical conductivity and mechanical strength.

Abstract: An improved apparatus for plasma treatment of silicon semiconductor wafers is proposed in which the end point of the plasma etching or ashing can be readily detected by monitoring with an optical fiberscope penetrating the wall of the plasma reaction chamber with one terminal located inside the plasma reaction chamber with a condenser lens attached thereto and the other terminal located outside the plasma reaction chamber at a distanced position free from the influence of the high frequency electric field inherent to plasma generation which otherwise interferes with the photoelectric recording by the photocell connected to the outer terminal of the optical fiberscope.

Abstract: A sensitive composition comprising polymethyl isopropenyl ketone of limited molecular weight and a compound of a given general formula. The formation of a pattern of less than 1 .mu.m is made possible by employing ultraviolet rays of wave lengths of 100-350 nm in place of those of 350-450 nm utilized in conventional processes. The sensitive composition is highly sensitive to ultraviolet rays in said wave range and reproduces a fine pattern precisely.

Abstract: A photocurable soluble resin suitable for manufacturing photosensitive resin plates obtained by polycondensing an alkylol derivative or an alkylated alkylol derivative of urea or thiourea with an N-alkylolacrylamide or N-alkylolmethacrylamide in the presence of an acid or an ammonium salt thereof or by reacting urea or thiourea with formaldehyde to form a linear polycondensation product and then grafting an N-alkylolacrylamide or N-alkylolmethacrylamide on the linear polycondensation product in the presence of an acid or an ammonium salt thereof. This soluble resin is incorporated with known soluble resins such as soluble nylon, photosensitizers and thermal polymerization inhibitors and mixed thoroughly to obtain a soluble photosensitive resin composition.

Abstract: An improved apparatus for the automatic handling of wafer materials is proposed for the plasma treatment of the wafers such as high-purity silicon semiconductor wafers. In this apparatus, the wafer carried by a carrier means to a position neighboring to a wafer table is picked up by a movable pick-up means and placed on the wafer table where it is subjected to the plasma treatment after the wafer table is fixed vacuum-tightly to a plasma reaction chamber. After completion of the treatment, the wafer is taken out by a second movable pick-up means and carried away by another carrier means to the succeeding processing step. Thus a possibility of full automatization of wafer processing is provided.

Abstract: A gallic acid alkyl ester or a gallic acid aryl ester is reacted in an inert solvent with 3 equivalents of naphthoquinone-(1,2)-diazido-(2)-sulfonyl chloride in the presence of an alkali to effect sulfonylation of 3 hydroxyl groups in the gallic acid moiety whereby a photodecomposable naphthoquinone-(1,2)-diazido-(2)-sulfonic acid ester is obtained. The new naphthoquinonediazido derivative thus obtained is mixed with an alkali-soluble phenol resin such as m-cresol novolac resin or phenol novolac resin to prepare a positive-type photoresist composition having high sensitivity and high resolving power as well as excellent dimensional accuracy and etching-resistance. In addition, this composition forms a good photosensitive film and can be a good ink receptor.

Abstract: An automatic apparatus for the treatment of wafer materials by plasma reaction is proposed in which the wafers are sent into the plasma reaction chamber one by one and yet the atmospheric air is never introduced into the reaction chamber between the successive reaction steps for two wafers by use of two rotary vacuum valves which also serve as wafer transmitters into and out of the reaction chamber and a rotary wafer table inside the reaction chamber, all being installed on an inclined base table to effect the downward spontaneous movement of the wafer under treatment by gravity.

Abstract: A photosensitive resin composition for flexographic printing plates comprising styrene-butadiene block copolymer containing 35 - 50% by weight of styrene, at least one liquid prepolymer having a molecular weight of 1,000 - 5,000 selected from the group consisting of polybutadiene and butadiene-styrene copolymer, at least one photopolymerizable monomer containing at least one vinyl group, such as tetraethyleneglycol diacrylate, a photopolymerization initiator such as benzophenone, and a thermopolymerization inhibitor optionally added. This photosensitive resin composition affords relief images suitable for use in flexographic printing.