Abstract: A method for manufacturing an oxide superconductor thin film is disclosed, which comprises the steps of: (1) preparing a substrate; depositing an oxide superconductor thin film on said substrate by directing a beam containing constituent elements of an oxide superconductor to said substrate; and supplying excited oxygen to or near a thin film deposition site on said substrate during the deposition of said thin film, wherein said beam is selected from the group consisting of an ion beam, neutral particle beam, molecular beam, cluster beam and cluster ion beam, and wherein said excited oxygen is produced by means of generating discharge in an oxygen gas or oxygen-containing gas or by irradiating an oxygen gas or oxygen-containing gas with a beam.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing an oxide superconductor film is disclosed, which comprises the steps of: preparing a substrate; depositing an oxide superconductor film on said substrate by chemical vapor deposition (CVD); and supplying excited oxygen to or near a film deposition site on said substrate during the deposition of said film.

Abstract: A vacuum ultraviolet light source for generating a pulse discharge in a low pressure gas and extracting ultraviolet light from a plasma created in that discharge, is disclosed which comprises a discharge space P, a plate-like anode located in the discharge space, a plurality of hollow cathodes located in the discharge space in an opposed, spaced-apart relation to the anode, auxiliary electrodes provided in an inside space of the hollow cathode in a state shielded from the hollow cathode, means which, while maintaining a pressure in the discharge space constant, flows a gas along a route in the discharge space after passing through an inner space in each hollow cathode, a power supply for supplying an electric power for generating a main discharge across the hollow cathode and the anode after a pre-discharge is produced across each hollow cathode and the anode, and ultraviolet extracting means for extracting ultraviolet light radiated from a plasma which is produced by a discharge in the discharge space.

Abstract: A laser beam 5 is directed to a target made of an oxide superconductor to allow a target spot which is irradiated with the beam to be evaporated and a matter which is evaporated to be deposited as a thin film on the surface of a substrate 3 at which time excited oxygen is supplied to or near a thin film deposition site on the substrate 3. In this way, an oxide superconductor thin film is formed on the substrate with oxygen atoms incorporated in the crystal structure of the thin film.

Abstract: Disclosed is a laser apparatus for effecting laser oscillation by exciting a laser medium by discharge between an anode and a cathode opposedly arranged to each other in a discharge tube, comprising means disposed in the discharge tube to support both the electrodes movably along the axial direction of the discharge tube so as to prevent warp of the electrodes on laser oscillation and keep the parallelism therebetween with high accuracy. Also disclosed is a laser apparatus comprising main discharge means for effecting laser oscillation by exciting a laser medium by generating discharge, and preionization means for generating ionization previously to the discharge by the main discharge means so as to stabilize laser oscillation under a high gas pressure and a high current density.

Abstract: An X-ray preionization pulse laser comprises a laser tube in which a pair of main electrodes are disposed to face each other. Pulse discharge between the main electrodes excites a laser medium, thereby obtaining laser oscillation. The laser has a sealed vacuum chamber in which a sliding discharge area is arranged. The sliding discharge area produces sliding discharge that generates X-rays for preionizing the laser medium before the main discharge occurs for laser oscillation.

Abstract: The soft X-ray apparatus of the present invention includes a vessel at low pressure or a vacuum in which a liquid target material, preferably mercury, is discharged in the form of a series of discontinuous droplets. The flow of the droplets of liquid target material is controlled by a control device, and synchronized with a high energy pulse beam, preferably a high energy laser pulse beam, provided by a laser device through a window in the vessel. In the preferred embodiment, this laser device also is controlled by the control device so that the laser pulse beam impinges a droplet of mercury inside the vessel to produce plasma to thereby generate soft X-rays. The droplets of mercury are sized to correspond to the size of the laser pulse beam at the point where the laser pulse beam impinges the droplet of mercury to maximize the strength of the soft X-rays and efficiently utilize the power of the high energy laser pulse beam. The soft X-rays exit the vessel through additional windows for subsequent use.

Abstract: Discharge apparatus comprises a vacuum envelope which is evacuated by a pamping apparatus. In the envelope, an anode and a hollow cathode are disposed and are connected to an arc power supply. A disk having an orfice covers one end of the hollow cathode. A low pressure gas is supplied from a gas source to the envelope through the hollow cathode and the orifice, the gas pressure in the hollow cathode being maintained higher than that in the envelope. The hollow cathode and the disk are made of an electrically conductive material and are connected to an ignition power supply. Before effecting discharging between the anode and the hollow cathode, the ignition power supply causes an ignition between the disk and the inner surface of the hollow cathode.