Abstract: A photomask, used for the photolithographic fine patterning of a photoresist film in the preparation of semiconductors, is provided with a thin film of a polymeric material having resilient elasticity to cover the patterned masking layer and the surface of the substrate plate altogether so that very intimate contact is obtained between the photomask and the photoresist film contributing to a great increase in the resolving power in addition to the advantages of decreased stain and scratch formation on the surface of the photomask resulting in an increased productivity of semiconductor devices.

Abstract: The inventive liquid separator of laboratory use can overcome the problems in the conventional separatory funnels used for liquid-liquid phase separation. The inventive apparatus comprises (a) a first bottle-like vessel with a mouth, (b) a second bottle-like vessel with a mouth connected with the first vessel at the mouths with air-tightness but disconnectable therefrom, (c) a porous membrane partitioning the first and the second vessels and made, preferably, of a sintered body of a water-repellent plastic resin such as a fluorocarbon polymer, and (d) an air-passage tubing opening at the ends in the first and the second vessels. When a two-phase mixture of an aqueous liquid and an organic liquid is taken in the first vessel positioned above the second vessel, the organic liquid can pass through the porous membrane to be transferred into the second vessel but the aqueous liquid is retained in the first vessel by virtue of the water-repellency of the fluorocarbon polymer.

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: A novel photosensitive composition for dry development in the ultra-fine pattern formation of the semiconductor industry, which is composed of at least one of acrylic and vinyl ketone polymers and a specified subliming bisazide compound as a photocuring agent, is disclosed.The use of the photosensitive composition provides a very effective ultra-fine pattern formation process in the semiconductor industry with such advantages that unexposed areas are selectively removable by treating with a plasma, and consequently plasma development becomes available so that high resolution may easily be obtained. Automating and dry processing of all the stages ranging from development processing to stripping processing become available when using the photosensitive composition of this invention. No expensive treating reagents are needed and environmental pollution is eliminated.

Abstract: (1) A polyvinyl alcohol derivative represented by the formula: ##STR1## (where R.sub.1 is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group, R.sub.2 is an aryl group, and k, l, m, and n denote integers of 1 or more.) (2) A photosensitive material for photomechanical process containing a polyvinyl alcohol derivative represented by the formula: ##STR2## (where R.sub.1 is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group, R.sub.2 is an aryl group, and k, l, m, and n denote integers of 1 or more) and a sensitizing agent.

Abstract: A novel photosensitive composition for dry development in the ultra-fine pattern formation of the semiconductor industry, which is composed of at least one of acrylic and vinyl ketone polymers and a specified subliming hisazide compound as a photocuring agent, is disclosed.The use of the photosensitive composition provides a very effective ultra-fine pattern formation process in the semiconductor industry with such advantages that unexposed areas are selectively removable by treating with a plasma, and consequently plasma development becomes available so that high resolution may easily be obtained. Automating and dry processing of all the stages ranging from development processing to stripping processing become available when using the photosensitive composition of this invention. No expensive treating reagents are needed and environmental pollution is eliminated.

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: A process for producing novel resinous gravure printing plates comprises coating on a printing substrate such as a cylinder a radiation-curable resin coating composition containing in a specific ratio a soluble polyamide resin and a radiation-polymerizable monomer or the like dissolved in a solvent, curing the coated film by irradiation with actinic rays, and engraving the resulting cured film. As a result, a novel resinous gravure printing plate having excellent engraving property, printing durability, and solvent resistance is produced.

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: The invention provides a novel photosensitive or photocurable resin composition suitable for the preparation of a planographic printing plate exhibiting excellent performance in development with an aqueous alkaline development solution as well as good ink-respectivity to form the image areas on the printing plate and high durability in printing . The resin composition comprises an acrylic copolymer and a diazo compound as the essential ingredients and the acrylic copolymer is composed of the recurring monomer units derived from alkyl esters of acrylic or methacrylic acid, from acrylonitrile or methacrylonitrile and from acrylic or methacrylic acid as the comonomers in limited proportions.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for forming ultra fine patterns on films of polymethyl isopropenyl ketone or a mixture of polymethyl isopropenyl ketone and a benzophenone compound by exposing such films to ultra violet rays in the range of from 1,000 to 3,500 A. The present invention is particularly useful for providing semiconductors having ultra fine patterns and ultra LSI's. The electric or electronic circuits for electronic or electric apparatus and equipment have been produced by wiring resistors, condensers, coils, vacuum tubes and the like necessary components. However, because of various disadvantages such as assembly requiring much time, complication of work, necessity of using large equipment, reasons or causes for errors, limitation of productivity, impossibility of reducing price or cost and the like, the present invention has been developed for printed circuit boards.

Abstract: A novel photoresist composition is proposed which is very advantageously employed in the photoetching process for the manufacture of various kinds of electronic devices such as transistors, ICs, LSIs and the like. The photoresist composition of the invention comprises a cyclized rubber as the base component and a specified azobenzene compound as a photoextinction agent for preventing halation in the exposure of the photoresist films to ultraviolet light. The advantages of the inventive photoresist composition over the conventional ones are obtained in the remarkable stability of the halation preventing effect even after a prebaking treatment of the photoresist films at an elevated temperature to remove the solvent from the photoresist films applied on to the substrate surfaces owing to the unexpectedly small sublimation of the azobenzene compound contained in the photoresist films.

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: The present invention relates to a method for forming ultra fine patterns on films of polymethyl isopropenyl ketone or a mixture of polymethyl isopropenyl ketone and a benzophenone compound by exposing such films to ultra violet rays in the range of from 1,000 to 3,500 A. The present invention is particularly useful for providing semiconductors having ultra fine patterns and ultra LSI's. The electric or electronic circuits for electronic or electric apparatus and equipment have been produced by wiring resistors, condensers, coils, vacuum tubes and the like necessary components. However, because of various disadvantages such as assembly requiring much time, complication of work, necessity of using large equipment, reasons or causes for errors, limitation of productivity, impossibility of reducing price or cost and the like, the present invention has been developed for printed circuit boards.

Abstract: The invention presents a novel photoresist composition used in the photoetching in the manufacture of various electronic semiconductor devices, in which the phenomenon of halation adversely affecting the fidelity of the etching patterns can be very much reduced. The photoresist composition of the invention comprises (a) a cyclized rubber, (b) a bisazide compound, (c) a photoextinction agent which is a 4-phenylazo-N,N-disubstituted aniline compound or a related bis derivative of biphenyl or diphenyl ether, and (d) a fluorescent agent which is a N,N'-di(substituted methylene) derivative of a phenylenediamine or hydrazine.With this formulation, the loss of ultraviolet absorption at about 360 nm caused by the photodecomposition of the component (b) is compensated for by the absorption of the photodecomposition product of the component (c) while the component (d) has no absorption at about 360 nm but emits a fluorescence in the range of 380 to 450 nm.

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.