Abstract: The present invention provides a plasma CVD method for forming a plasma from a deposition material gas by application of an electric power, and thereby forming a film on a deposition target object in the plasma, wherein the formation of the plasma from the material gas is performed by applying an RF power and a DC power, and the DC power is applied to an electrode carrying the deposition target object. The present invention also provides a plasma CVD apparatus for forming a plasma from a deposition material gas by applying an electric power from the power applying means, and thereby forming a film on a deposition target object by exposing the deposition target object to the plasma, wherein the power applying means includes RF power applying means and DC power applying means, and the DC power applying means applies an electric power to the electrode carrying the deposition target object.

Abstract: A DC-DC converter has converter circuit portions 11 and 12, transformers Tr1 and T r2, and rectifier circuit portions 21 and 22. Two sets of converter circuit portions 11 and 12 respectively include two pairs of switching elements Q1 to Q4, and two pairs of switching elements Q5 to Q8 connected in full bridge configuration, series capacitors C1 and C2 are inserted and connected between the converter circuit portions 11 and 12 and the transformers Tr1 and Tr2 respectively. The switching phase of one switching element Q4 or Q8 is shifted by a 1/3n period from the switching phase of the other switching element Q1 or Q5 in the pair of switching elements. The switching phases of corresponding switching elements Q1 and Q5 in the converter circuit portions 11 and 12 are shifted by a 1/2n period from each other.

Abstract: A method of forming a thin polycrystalline silicon film and a thin film forming apparatus allowing inexpensive formation of a thin polycrystalline silicon film at a relatively low temperature with high productivity. More specifically, a method of forming a thin polycrystalline silicon film and a thin film forming apparatus in which a state of plasma is controlled to achieve an emission intensity ratio of hydrogen atom radicals (H&bgr;) of one or more to the emission intensity of SiH* radicals in the plasma.

Abstract: According to the invention, a complex (M or M′) formed by stacking in a closely contacted state a single crystal &agr;-SiC base material (1) and a polycrystalline plate (2) which is produced into a plate-like shape by the CVD method with interposing an intermediate layer (4 or 4′) containing Si and O as fundamental components, such as silicon rubber between opposing faces of the two members (1) and (2) in a laminated manner is heat-treated at a temperature of 2,200° C. or higher, and under a saturated SiC vapor pressure, thereby causing polycrystal members of the polycrystalline plate (3) to be transformed in a same direction as single crystal of the single crystal &agr;-SiC base material (1) to integrally grow single crystal. Therefore, single crystal SiC of a high quality in which crystal defects and distortion are prevented from occurring and micropipe defects hardly occur can be produced easily and efficiently.

Abstract: An ion beam irradiation apparatus is provided with a plasma production device 30 which produces a plasma 12 through the radio frequency discharge and supplies the produced plasma in the vicinity of the substrate 4. The plasma production device 30 includes a plasma producing chamber 32 being elongated along an axis 33 extending in scanning directions X in which the ion beam is moved; a plasma emission hole 34 being provided in a side thereof and elongated along the axis 33 of the plasma producing chamber; and a magnet 36 provided outside the plasma producing chamber 32 for producing a magnetic field having a direction along the axis 33. The magnetic field developed by the magnet 36 contains a magnetic field which has a direction along the axis and bends to the substrate ions contained in the plasma 12 emitted from a plasma emission hole 34.

Abstract: The vacuum arc evaporation apparatus removes coarse particles from plasma containing cathode materials generated from a cathode 7 provided to a evaporation source 6 by a vacuum arc discharge, and is provided with a porous member 10 on the inside wall of a plasma duct equipped with means for forming deflection magnetic field having a magnetic coil 8 outside thereof so as to guide the plasma in the vicinity of a substrate 11 accommodated in the film forming chamber 1.

Abstract: A carbon film C containing carbon as a main component, formed on the surface of a soft base material 4, characterized in that the film C is cracked A and divided into a plurality of regions B, and an average area of respective regions (blocks) surrounded by cracks A is 0.15×10−3 mm2 to 20×10−3 mm2.

Abstract: The invention provides a vacuum processing apparatus, in which a substantial installation area is smaller than that of a conventional vacuum processing apparatus having a plurality of processing chambers of the same size and the same number, and easy maintenance can be achieved. More specifically, the invention provides a vacuum processing apparatus including a plurality of processing chambers, which are provided with processing devices for effecting predetermined processing on a target object, can achieve predetermined internal pressures, and can accommodate the target object for effecting predetermined processing under the predetermined pressures. In the vacuum processing apparatus, the plurality of processing chambers are arranged around a central chamber provided for object transfer and being capable of achieving a predetermined internal pressure, and are connected with the central chamber.

Abstract: When ion beam 14 is irradiated onto a substrate 2 to conduct processing such as ion injection, plasma 30 emitted from a plasma generating device 20 is supplied to a portion close to the substrate 2 to suppress electric charging on a substrate surface caused by ion beam irradiation. A ratio of IE/IB is kept at a value not lower than 1.8, a ratio of II /IE is kept at a value not lower than 0.07 and not higher than 0.7, wherein IB is an electric current of the ion beam 14 irradiated onto the substrate 2, II is an ion current expressing a quantity of ions in the plasma 30 emitted from the plasma generating device 20, and IE is an electron current expressing a quantity of electrons in the plasma 30.

Abstract: An ion source 2 has a heating furnace 4 for annealing a solid material 6 to generate a steam 8 and a plasma generator 16 for ionizing the steam 8 to generate a plasma 24. The ion source 2 is for generating ion beam. An indium trifluoride is used as said solid material which has been once heated at temperature in the range of 600° C. to lower than 1170° C., thereby enabling to generate the indium ion beam in a stable amount. For the solid material 6, In(OF)xF3-x (x is 1, 2 or 3) may be used.

Abstract: In an ion source, a rear reflector 10 is electrically insulated from both a plasma production vessel 2 and a filament 6. The rear reflector 10 and an opposed reflector 8 are electrically connected. Further, a DC bias power supply 32 is a power supply individuated from a filament power supply 24 and an arc power supply 26. The DC bias power supply 32 is placed for applying a bias voltage VB between the opposed reflector 8 and the rear reflector 10 and the plasma production vessel 2 with both the reflectors 8 and 10 as negative potential.

Abstract: The present invention provides a plasma CVD method for forming a plasma from a deposition material gas by application of an electric power, and thereby forming a film on a deposition target object in the plasma, wherein the formation of the plasma from the material gas is performed by applying an RF power and a DC power, and the DC power is applied to an electrode carrying the deposition target object. The present invention also provides a plasma CVD apparatus for forming a plasma from a deposition material gas by applying an electric power from the power applying means, and thereby forming a film on a deposition target object by exposing the deposition target object to the plasma, wherein the power applying means includes RF power applying means and DC power applying means, and the DC power applying means applies an electric power to the electrode carrying the deposition target object.

Abstract: A power fluctuation monitoring unit which monitors and detects the power fluctuation at a receiving point 9 by means of the measurement results of the voltage at injection point 14 of an intermediate-order harmonic current and the current at incoming line 10, a power compensation unit which forms the compensation power injection signal for canceling out the power fluctuation based on the detection results of the power fluctuation, and an inverter device 18 which is driven and controlled by the signal resulting from the addition of the intermediate-order harmonic current injection signal and the compensation power injection signal and injects the intermediate-order harmonic current and the compensation power into the injection point, are equipped.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a crystalline silicon base semiconductor thin film on a substrate, includes the steps of forming a thin film primarily made of silicon on the substrate by forming plasma of a film material gas containing at least a silicon base gas at the vicinity of the substrate; and crystallizing the silicon in the thin film primarily made of the silicon by emitting excited particles produced from an excited particle material gas to the substrate. At least one of the film material gas and the excited particle material gas contains an impurity gas for forming the silicon semiconductor, and thereby the crystalline silicon base semiconductor thin film is formed on the substrate.

Abstract: This ion source 2 has the heating furnace 4 for heating a solid material 6 to produce a vapor 8, the plasma production vessel 16 for producing a plasma 24 by ionizing this vapor 8, and the vapor conduit tube 10 connecting both the heating furnace 4 and the plasma production vessel 16. In this ion source 2, using indium fluoride 6a as the solid material 6, an ion beam 30 containing indium ions is led out, while the temperature of the heating furnace 4 is kept in a range from 450° to 1170° C., and below the temperature of the plasma production vessel 16.

Abstract: A vacuum arc evaporation source 30 evaporates cathodes by vacuum arc discharge to thereby generate plasmas 36 and 38 containing cathode materials. The vacuum arc evaporation source 30 has two cathodes 32 and 34 composed of different kinds of materials from each other and insulated electrically from each other. The cathodes 32 and 34 are disposed coaxially with each other through an insulating material 40. The two cathodes 32 and 34 are used switchably, so that a laminate film including a plurality of heterogeneous films can be formed by evaporation sources which are smaller in number than those in the related art.

Abstract: In a current-limiting device, a plurality of current-limiting elements are connected in series to one another, and are inserted between the system power source of an electric power system and the load thereof. In the device, transformers, the number of which is equal to that of the current-limiting element S1 through Sn, are arranged. The primary windings of the transformers are connected to the current-limiting elements in the same polarity, respectively, and all the secondary wings thereof are connected in parallel to one another.

Abstract: A method for implanting negative hydrogen ions includes the following steps. Plasma containing hydrogen is generated. Negative hydrogen ions are generated in the plasma. An electric field is formed between the plasma and a substrate. Negative hydrogen ions from the plasma is accelerated by using the electric field so as to implant negative hydrogen ions into a predetermined depth of a substrate.

Abstract: A harmonic injection point a is set on a power line extending downstream from a harmonic measuring point b in an electric power system. The currents of interharmonics are injected to the harmonic injection point a by a current injection device. The frequencies of the interharmonics are located on both sides of the frequency of an n-th targeted harmonic in frequency spectrum and each of the frequencies is a nonintegral multiple of the frequency of a fundamental wave of an electric power transmitted by the electric power system. The current values and voltage values of the interharmonics at the harmonic measuring point are detected to thereby obtain admittance values of an equivalent circuit of a power line extending upstream from the harmonic measuring point b when the interharmonics flow therethrough. An admittance value of the equivalent circuit of the power line when the targeted harmonic flows therethrough is determined by interpolating the admittance values for the interharmonics.

Abstract: Current density distributions of the ion beam in the scanning direction (the direction of X) at two points Zf and Zb on Z-coordinate are respectively measured by Faraday arrays. Using the thus measured current density distributions, a current density distribution in the scanning direction of the ion beam at an arbitrary position on Z-coordinate located in a workpiece is found by the method of interpolation. Using the thus found current density distribution, a waveform of scanning voltage V(t) of the ion beam is reformed so that a scanning speed of the ion beam can be relatively decreased at a position where the current density must be raised in the current density distribution and a scanning speed of the ion beam can be relatively increased at a position where the current density must be lowered. Due to the foregoing, a current density distribution in the scanning direction of the ion beam at an arbitrary position on Z-coordinate located in the workpiece is adjusted to a desired distribution.