Abstract: Provided is a fiber which is equal to conventional fibers in heat resistance and which, even when heated during thermoforming, maintains the shape thereof and suffers no change in texture. This fiber is suitable for forming an interior automotive member. Also provided is an interior automotive member formed from the fiber. The film-protected fiber comprises: a core fiber constituted of a material having a relatively low melting point; and a protective film which is constituted of a material having a relatively high melting point and with which the periphery of the core fiber is surrounded. Even when the film-protected fiber is thermoformed, at a temperature sufficient for melting the core fiber, into a shape conforming to, e.g., an inner part of an automotive body, the original structure of the fiber can be maintained due to the protective film.

Abstract: A sheetfed resist removing apparatus having a substrate (111) being a cleaning object placed therein, includes a treatment chamber (101) forming a closed space, and a spray nozzle (102) to spray a cleaning liquid in a form so-called liquid drops over a surface of the substrate (111), in which the treatment chamber (101) forms the closed space containing the substrate (111) such that the placed substrate (111) faces the spray nozzle (102). This structure allows a cleaning liquid to be in the form of liquid drops in consideration of energy reduction, and permits desirable regulation of the temperature of the liquid drops when the liquid drops contact with the resist film in spraying the cleaning liquid over the resist film on the surface of the substrate (111) to thereby remove the resist film, so that secure removal of the resist film can be accomplished.

Abstract: A plurality of liquid chemicals are fed onto a substrate to be treated, which is held and spinned, and the liquid chemicals scattered from the substrate to be treated by a rotator are separately recovered in respective recovery tanks (16 to 19) by each chemical. A lifting mechanism controls lifting operation of respective fences (3a to 3s) which form respective recovery tanks (16 to 19) so as to recover the liquid chemical into a certain recovery tank, while at the time, inlets of the other recovery tanks are closed at that time. Such a lifting mechanism includes a fence lifting plate provided with a cams portions 29a engaging with the respective fences (3a to 3d) to lift the corresponding fence, and performs lifting operation of the respective fences (3a to 3d) by rotating the fence lifting plate (29) around the shaft of the fence lifting plate (29) by a motor (34) so that the liquid chemical to be recovered is prevented from mixing in other recovery tanks.

Abstract: In a resist removing apparatus of the present invention, a distance between a surface of a substrate (10) and an ultraviolet rays transmission plate (3) is adjusted to a predetermined distance by an upward and downward moving mechanism (2b) of a substrate stage (2), and O3 water is supplied from an O3 water supply section (12) to a treatment space formed between the surface of the substrate (10) and the ultraviolet ray transmission plate (3) to form a liquid film (41). Various kinds of active oxygen are generated by emitting ultraviolet rays of wavelengths of 172 nm to 310 nm to the liquid film (41) by an ultraviolet lamp, and dissolving O3, and thereby the resist is dissolved and removed.

Abstract: There is provided a cassette carrying-in system, which can rotate a cassette housing therein substrates to be treated so that the substrates are changed from a vertical state to a horizontal state and which can carry the cassette in, e.g., a load-lock chamber of a vacuum processing unit. The cassette carrying-in system is provided for carrying a cassette, in which a plurality of substrates to be processed are arranged in parallel, in a processing unit for treating the substrates.

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus has a process chamber for receiving an article to be processed, a monitoring window forming part of the peripheral wall of the process chamber, a pressure leading-out port, gates, and a plasma generating device for forming an electric field and generating plasma in the process chamber. The process chamber is defined by the peripheral wall having a circular cross section. Members forming parts of the peripheral wall each have an inner face continuous with the surface of the peripheral wall and curved substantially at the same radius of curvature as the surface of the peripheral wall.