Abstract: A tantalum nitride film-forming method comprises the steps of introducing a raw gas consisting of a coordination compound constituted by an elemental tantalum (Ta) having a coordinated ligand represented by the general formula: N?(R,R?) (in the formula, R and R? may be the same or different and each represents an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms), and a halogen gas into a vacuum chamber; and reacting these components with one another on a substrate to thus form a surface adsorption film comprising a mono-atomic or multi (several)-atomic layer and composed of a compound represented by the following general formula: TaNx(Hal)y(R, R?)z (in the formula, Hal represents a halogen atom), then introducing radicals generated from an H atom-containing compound to thus remove Ta—N bonds present in the resulting compound through breakage thereof and remove, at the same time, the remaining R(R?) groups bonded to the N atoms present in the compound through the cleavage thereof and to thus form a tantalum nitride film

Abstract: A touch panel having high durability is provided. Either one or both of a display device and a flexible panel have island-shaped protective bodies formed on surfaces of electrode layers (upper electrode layer, lower electrode layer), and a transparent conductive film is exposed between the protective bodies. Since the protective bodies protrude highly from the surface of the transparent conductive film, when the flexible panel is pressed and the upper electrode and the lower electrode layer are brought into contact, a load to be applied to the transparent conductive film is reduced by the protective bodies, so that the transparent conductive film is not broken.

Abstract: By eliminating the necessity of a prior step for cleaning a sintered magnet before adhering Dy and/or Tb to the surface of the sintered magnet S, the productivity of a permanent magnet having diffused Dy and/or Tb into grain boundary phase is improved. Iron-boron-rare earth based sintered magnet (S) disposed in a processing chamber (20) is heated to a predetermined temperature. An evaporating material (V) which is made of a hydride containing at least one of Dy and Tb is disposed in the same or in another processing chamber and is evaporated to cause the evaporated evaporating material to the surface of the sintered magnet. Metal atoms of Dy and/or Tb are diffused into grain boundary phase of the sintered magnet.

Abstract: By causing at least one of Dy and Tb to be adhered to the surface of an iron-boron-rare earth based sintered magnet of a predetermined shape, and is then to be diffused into grain boundary phase, a permanent magnet can be manufactured at high workability and low cost. An iron-boron-rare earth based sintered magnet is disposed in a processing chamber and is heated to a predetermined temperature. Also, an evaporating material made up of a fluoride containing at least one of Dy and Tb disposed in the same or another processing chamber is evaporated, and the evaporated evaporating material is caused to be adhered to the surface of the sintered magnet. The Dy and/or Tb metal atoms of the adhered evaporating material are diffused into the grain particle phase of the sintered magnet before a thin film made of the evaporated material is formed on the surface of the sintered magnet.

Abstract: A tantalum nitride film-forming method comprises the steps of introducing, into a vacuum chamber, a raw gas consisting of a coordination compound constituted by elemental Ta having a coordinated ligand represented by the general formula: N?(R,R?) (in the formula, R and R? may be the same or different and each represents an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms) to thus adsorb the gas on a substrate; then introducing an NH3 gas and then activated H radicals derived from a reactant gas into a vacuum chamber to thus remove the R(R?) groups bonded to the nitrogen atom present in the reaction product through cleavage, and to thus form a tantalum nitride film rich in tantalum atoms. The resulting tantalum nitride film has a low resistance, low contents of C and N atoms, and a high compositional ratio: Ta/N, can ensure sufficiently high adherence to the distributing wire-forming film and can thus be useful as a barrier film.

Abstract: A photoelectric conversion device manufacturing method manufactures a photoelectric conversion device in which a first photoelectric conversion unit and a second photoelectric conversion unit are sequentially stacked on a transparent-electroconductive film formed on a substrate. The method includes: forming each of a first p-type semiconductor layer, a first i-type semiconductor layer, a first n-type semiconductor layer, and a second p-type semiconductor layer in a plurality of first plasma CVD reaction chambers; exposing the second p-type semiconductor layer to an air atmosphere; supplying a gas including p-type impurities to inside a second plasma CVD reaction chamber before forming of the second i-type semiconductor layer; forming the second i-type semiconductor layer on the second p-type semiconductor layer that was exposed to an air atmosphere, in the second plasma CVD reaction chamber; and forming the second n-type semiconductor layer on the second i-type semiconductor layer.

Abstract: A touch panel having high durability is provided. Either one or both of a display device and a flexible panel have island-shaped protective bodies formed on surfaces of electrode layers (upper electrode layer, lower electrode layer), and a transparent conductive film is exposed between the protective bodies. Since the protective bodies protrude highly from the surface of the transparent conductive film, when the flexible panel is pressed and the upper electrode and the lower electrode layer are brought into contact, a load to be applied to the transparent conductive film is reduced by the protective bodies, so that the transparent conductive film is not broken.

Abstract: A processing gas is introduced to remove an oxide film on the surface of a silicon substrate 5. F radicals are allowed to act on the surface of the silicon substrate to etch a silicon layer. Then, NH3 gas, N2 gas and NF3 gas are introduced, allowing NHxFy to act on the oxidized surface of the silicon substrate 5, thereby forming (NH4)2SiF6. The resulting (NH4)2SiF6 is sublimated to remove by-products (SiOF, SiOH) on the surface of the silicon substrate 5.

Abstract: A touch panel having high durability is provided. Either one or both of a display device and a flexible panel have island-shaped protective bodies formed on surfaces of electrode layers (upper electrode layer, lower electrode layer), and a transparent conductive film is exposed between the protective bodies. Since the protective bodies protrude highly from the surface of the transparent conductive film, when the flexible panel is pressed and the upper electrode and the lower electrode layer are brought into contact, a load to be applied to the transparent conductive film is reduced by the protective bodies, so that the transparent conductive film is not broken.

Abstract: A photoelectric conversion device manufacturing method, includes: continuously forming a first p-type semiconductor layer, a first i-type semiconductor layer, and a first n-type semiconductor layer, which constitute a first-photoelectric conversion unit, and a second p-type semiconductor layer which constitutes a second-photoelectric conversion unit, in decompression chambers that are different from each other; exposing the second p-type semiconductor layer to an air atmosphere; and forming a second i-type semiconductor layer and a second n-type semiconductor layer, which constitute the second-photoelectric conversion unit, on the second p-type semiconductor layer of the second-photoelectric conversion unit which was exposed to the air atmosphere, in the same decompression chamber.

Abstract: A display device which can be driven by a thin-film transistor and has a high brightness is provided. A low-voltage-driven inorganic luminescent layer and a control transistor are formed on a substrate. The voltage which is applied to the inorganic luminescent layer is controlled by the control transistor. The inorganic luminescent layer has such strength against heat and any damage such that the inorganic luminescent layer can be formed by sputtering method. A top-emission type display device and a bottom-emission type display device can be formed on the same substrate and the luminescent light can be emitted from the same position.

Abstract: [Object] To provide a freeze-drying apparatus and a freeze-drying method, which are capable of increasing a drying efficiency of frozen particles. [Solving Means] The freeze-drying apparatus 100 includes a freezing chamber 10 into which a raw material fluid F is injected. During the injection of the raw material fluid F, after the injection of the raw material fluid F, or for a time period covering the start to the termination of the injection of the raw material fluid F, a shelf 16 is vibrated in a horizontal direction due to an actuation of vibration generators 31. With this, the frozen particles deposited on the shelf 16 are evenly diffused on the shelf 16 in such a manner that a deposition thickness thereof becomes smaller or a single layer thereof is formed. With this, a freezing efficiency and the drying efficiency of individual particles are promoted.

Abstract: A manufacturing method for a solar cell including an upper electrode extracting an electrode at an incident light side, the upper electrode including a transparent conductive film, a basic structural element of the transparent conductive film being any one of an indium (In), a zinc (Zn), and tin (Sn), the manufacturing method including: a step A forming a texture on a front surface of a transparent substrate using a wet etching method, the transparent conductive film being formed on the transparent substrate, wherein in the step A, when the texture is formed, a metal thin film is formed on the transparent substrate, and an anisotropic etching is performed with the metal thin film being a mask.

Abstract: A photoelectric conversion device manufacturing method, includes: continuously forming a first p-type semiconductor layer, a first i-type semiconductor layer, and a first n-type semiconductor layer, which constitute a first-photoelectric conversion unit, and a second p-type semiconductor layer which constitutes a second-photoelectric conversion unit composed of a crystalline-silicon-based thin film, in a reduced-pressure atmosphere; exposing the second p-type semiconductor layer to an air atmosphere; and forming a second i-type semiconductor layer and a second n-type semiconductor layer, which constitute the second-photoelectric conversion unit, on the second p-type semiconductor layer which was exposed to an air atmosphere.

Abstract: An electrostatic chuck is provided which is arranged that, at the time of performing processing treatments of irradiating light to a to-be-processed substrate while holding the translucent to-be-processed substrate, the to-be-processed substrate can surely be held even in case the attraction force lowers due to photoelectric effect. An electrostatic chuck has a chuck plate made of a dielectric material, and a first electrode and a second electrode, both electrodes being disposed in the chuck plate. A voltage is applied between the first and the second electrodes to thereby attract the to-be-processed substrate S to the surface of the chuck plate. The electrostatic chuck has, on part of the surface of the chuck plate, a substrate holding section 64 which is made of an adhesive sheet and the like having an adhesive force with respect to the to-be-processed substrate.

Abstract: [Object] To provide a freeze-drying apparatus capable of achieving an increase of a processing capacity without causing a variation of a particle diameter. [Solving Means] A freeze-drying apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a freezing chamber 10 forming a vacuum chamber; and an injector 25. The injector 25 includes a tube member 29 provided to the vacuum chamber, and a nozzle 9 including a plurality of injection holes 92 open to an inside of the tube member 29. The injector 25 injects a raw material fluid F, which is fed to the tube member 29, from the nozzle 9 into the vacuum chamber. The respective injection holes 92 are each formed so as to be open to the inside of the tube member 29, and hence the raw material fluid F is injected through the respective injection holes 92 at the same injection pressure. With this, it is possible to achieve the increase of the processing capacity without causing the variation of the particle diameter.

Abstract: [Object] To provide a freeze-drying apparatus and a freeze-drying method, which are capable of increasing a collection rate of a raw material without a need for providing a member such as a baffle plate or the like. [Solving Means] The freeze-drying apparatus 100 includes: a container 4 to store a raw material fluid F; a freezing chamber 10 being a vacuum chamber; a vacuum pump 1 to exhaust the freezing chamber 10; and an injection mechanism 25 to inject the raw material fluid F stored in the container 4 into the freezing chamber 10. The cold trap 20 is arranged within the freezing chamber 10, and hence a phenomenon that the raw material is discharged to the outside of the vacuum chamber together with a vapor as in the past can be prevented. With this, the collection rate of the raw material can be increased. Further, it becomes unnecessary to provide the baffle plate or the like for preventing the phenomenon in vicinity of an exhaust port of the vacuum chamber.

Abstract: A metallic wiring film, which is not exfoliated even when exposed to a plasma of hydrogen, is provided. A metallic wiring film 20a is constituted by an adhesion layer 51 in which an additive metal is added to copper and a low-resistance metallic layer 52, which is made of pure copper, is disposed on the adhesion layer 51. When the additive metal made of at least one of Ti, Zr and Cr, and oxygen are included in a copper alloy which is in the adhesion layer 51 and a source electrode and a drain electrode are formed from it, copper does not precipitate at an interface between the adhesion layer 51 and the silicon layer even when being exposed to the hydrogen plasma, which prevents exfoliation from occurring between the adhesion layer 51 and the silicon layer. If the amount of additive metal increases, the adhesion layer 51 cannot be etched with an etching liquid for etching the low-resistance metallic layer 52, so that the maximum additional amount to permit the etching to be performed is the upper limit.

Abstract: There is provided an inexpensive cathode unit which is simple in construction and is capable of forming a film at good coating characteristics relative to each of micropores of high aspect ratio throughout an entire surface of a substrate. There is also provided a sputtering apparatus provided with the cathode unit. The cathode unit of this invention has a holder formed with one or more recessed portions on one surface thereof. Inside the recessed portions there are mounted bottomed cylindrical target members from the bottom side thereof. Into a space inside each of the target members there are built magnetic field generating means for generating magnetic fields.

Abstract: An inexpensive sputtering apparatus of simple construction is provided in which a film can be formed with good coating characteristics relative to each of micropores of high aspect ratio. The sputtering apparatus has: a target lying opposite to a substrate W which is disposed inside a vacuum chamber; a magnet assembly which generates a tunnel-shaped magnetic field in front of a sputtering surface of the target; a gas introduction means which introduces a sputtering gas into the vacuum chamber; and a sputtering power supply which charges negative potential to the target. There are provided magnetic field generating means to generate a vertical magnetic field of such a nature that vertical lines of magnetic force M pass through a sputtering surface and through an entire surface of the substrate at a predetermined distance from one another.