Abstract: The present invention provides a substrate with a transparent conductive layer comprising at least one layer stacked on a supporting substrate, wherein the surface of the transparent conductive layer has a distribution of inclination arctan (df/dx) in the range of sampling length dx between 20 nm and 100 nm when a distance of the surface of said transparent conductive layer from the surface of said supporting substrate is regarded as f being a normal distribution having a kurtosis of ?1.2 to 0.5 around 0° and a standard deviation of 20° to 55°, and a photovoltaic element using the substrate. The substrate can be produced at a high yield and a low cost suitable for practical use and has a high reliability. In addition, a photovoltaic element having a high photoelectric conversion efficiency is obtained when the substrate is used in manufacturing it.

Abstract: In order to provide an antireflection film of a wide wavelength bandwidth excellent in environment resistance performance in the ultraviolet wavelength region, the antireflection film is constructed in four-layered, or five-layered, or six-layered structure, using Al2O3 for high-index layers and AlF3 or MgF2 for low-index layers. Vacuum evaporation, sputtering, or CVD is used for formation of the antireflection film.

Abstract: An apparatus for coating a substrate with a material vapor in negative pressure includes a material vapor source for releasing a material vapor and an ionization device having a cold cathode and a cold anode for producing an arc discharge between anode and cathode for ionizing the material vapor to form a plasma. A first power supply is provided for the ionization device and a second power supply is provided for the material vapor source.

Abstract: An article comprises a silicon-containing substrate and an external environmental/thermal barrier coating. The external environmental/thermal barrier coating is permeable to diffusion of an environmental oxidant and the silicon-containing substrate is oxidizable by reaction with oxidant to form at least one gaseous product. The article comprises an intermediate layer/coating between the silicon-containing substrate and the environmental/thermal barrier coating that is oxidizable to a nongaseous product by reaction with the oxidant in preference to reaction of the silicon-containing substrate with the oxidant. A method of forming an article, comprises forming a silicon-based substrate that is oxidizable by reaction with oxidant to at least one gaseous product and applying an intermediate layer/coating onto the substrate, wherein the intermediate layer/coating is oxidizable to a nongaseous product by reaction with the oxidant in preference to reaction of the silicon-containing substrate with the oxidant.

Abstract: Disclosed is an antireflection film used to be stuck on the surface of a glass panel of a CRT, which can be inexpensively manufactured at a high productivity while satisfying all of requirements regarding its adhesive strength, reflectance characteristic, electric resistance and total light transmittance. The antireflection film is formed by stacking silicon oxide films and indium tin oxide films on a base film in multilevels, wherein the thickness of the uppermost silicon oxide film of the antireflection film is thicker than the indium tin oxide film directly under the uppermost silicon oxide film, and the lowermost silicon oxide film, positioned at the interface with the base film, of the antireflection film is a SiOx film where the value x is in a range of 0.5 to 1.9.

Abstract: Aluminum alloy products are described which combine both good strength and resistance to pitting corrosion. They are extruded from an aluminum alloy of the AA1000, AA3000 or AA8000 series containing about 0.001 to 0.3% zinc and about 0.001 to 0.03% titanium. The alloy may also contain 0.001 to 0.5% manganese and about 0.03 to 0.4% silicon. These products are particularly useful in the production of extruded products, such as heat exchanger tubing.

Abstract: Four and five-layer antireflection coatings are disclosed suitable for use on optical parts such as lenses and prisms in which layers of thin films are formed on the surfaces of the optical parts by a process such as vacuum evaporation. By selecting the materials for the layers based on the refractive index of the materials, as well as based on the refractive index of the substrate, reflectance of the s-polarized component of incident light can be reduced over a large range of incident angle up to a range of approximately 45 degrees.

Abstract: A process for inexpensively producing an insulating substrate suitable for use in image displays fabricated through a high-temperature production step, such as plasma displays and field emission displays (FED). A multilayered insulating film of one member selected from SiO2, a silicon oxynitride, and a silicon nitride is coated on a surface of a glass plate by reactive sputtering using one or more silicon targets in oxygen or/and nitrogen. The interface between layers in the multilayered insulating film functions to trap sodium ions thermally diffusing from the glass, whereby the amount of sodium ions which dissolve in the insulating film and reach the surface thereof is considerably reduced.

Abstract: The present invention is an anti-reflective transparent article which includes a transparent substrate. The article also includes a first coating of metal oxide applied over the substrate. The first coating of metal oxide has a reflective index of about 1.8 to about 2.6. The article further includes a second coating of a metal oxide applied over the first coating of metal oxide. The second coating has a refractive index of about 1.44 to about 1.6. The reflectivity of the article, when measured at an angle of at least 50 degrees from normal, is at least three percentage points less than the reflectivity of the uncoated substrate at the same angle.

Abstract: A film formation method of forming at least one layered film on a substrate containing fluorite as a main ingredient by using a film formation apparatus which emits electrons or ions, which comprises the step of forming, as a first layered film counted from the side of the substrate, a film having a thickness of 30 nm or less and comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of SiO2, BeO, MgO, and MgF2.

Abstract: An electroluminescent system in which neighboring layers are suspended, prior to application, in advantageously a unitary carrier compound, so that after curing, the layers form active strata within a monolithic mass. The carrier compound in a preferred embodiment is a vinyl resin in gel form. The invention enables several manufacturing advantages, including the ability to silk-screen print the entire electroluminescent system on a variety of substrates, including cloth, metals, plastics, wood or even stone.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for preparing a carbon-carbon composite. The method of the present invention comprises adding a ceramic-based oxidation inhibitor having a brittle-to-ductile transition, to thereby eliminate high densification processes via re-impregnation and re-carbonization. The present invention also relates to a carbon-carbon composite prepared thereby that comprises a ceramic powder added to a thermosetting resin.

Abstract: A multilayer sheet having high compressive strength, high heat resistance and low permeability relative to fluids, includes layers of graphite foils and metal foils disposed alternating one upon another and parallel, with the graphite foils joined to the metal foils. Each of two layers forming an upper and a lower boundary of the multilayer sheet is a metal foil having a flat outwardly-directed surface completely covered with and joined to a gas-tight foil made of an organic polymer having a long-term temperature stability of at least 150° C. Preferably, no adhesives are used for joining the foils. The multilayer sheet is preferably used for producing flat gaskets.

Abstract: Ceramic laminate material comprising at least one dense layer of a perovskite material and at least one layer of a dense non-perovskite material and/or at least one layer of a dense superstructural perovskite material.

Abstract: A transparent laminate is constituted as follows. A low refractive index transparent film is formed on a surface of the transparent substrate. n units (3≦n≦5) of high refractive index transparent films and silver type transparent electrical are laminated successively on a surface of the low refractive index transparent film. Another high refractive index transparent film is formed on a surface of the n units, and another low refractive index transparent film is formed on a surface of the other high refractive index transparent film. Each of the low refractive index transparent films is an optically transparent film having a refractive index nL in a range of from 1.3 to 1.6 and each of the high refractive index transparent films is an optically transparent film having a refractive index nH in a range of from 1.9 to 2.5.

Abstract: A hot-dip Zn—Al—Mg plated steel sheet good in corrosion resistance and surface appearance that is a hot-dip Zn-base plated steel sheet obtained by forming on a surface of a steel sheet a hot-dip Zn—Al—Mg plating layer composed of Al: 4.0-10 wt. %, Mg: 1.0-4.0 wt. % and the balance of Zn and unavoidable impurities, the plating layer having a metallic structure including a primary crystal Al phase or a primary crystal Al phase and a Zn single phase in a matrix of Al/Zn/Zn2Mg ternary eutectic structure. To obtain a plating layer possessing this metallic structure, the cooling rate of the plating layer adhering to a steel strip extracted from a plating bath and the plating bath temperature are appropriately controlled in a continuous hot-dip plating machine and/or appropriate amounts of Ti and B are added to the bath.

Abstract: A metal article, in particular a component for a thermal cracking furnace, and a method of protecting the metal from exposure to carbon, the article having a protective coating that has a glass-ceramic surface and an interior having a CTE between that of the glass-ceramic and the metal.

Abstract: A neodymium/iron/boron permanent magnet is provided with high corrosion resistance by forming a coating layer of a vitrified sodium silicate on the surface. The vitreous coating layer of sodium silicate is formed by coating the surface of the permanent magnet with an aqueous coating solution of water glass followed by drying of the coating layer and vitrification of the dried coating layer by a heat treatment under specified conditions. Characteristically, the thus formed vitreous coating layer of sodium silicate is subjected to a leaching treatment with water at a specified temperature for a specified length of time in order to remove away residual sodium content leachable in water so that the troubles due to absorption of moisture by the alkali constituent in the sodium silicate coating layer can be largely dissolved.

Abstract: A device for improving combustion efficiency having an aluminum plate including a layer in one side thereof. The layer contains thorium oxide powder in a ratio of 1˜5 wt %. The device may be mounted in a section, such as a pipe, air cleaner, or fuel tank through which air, fuel or a mixture thereof passes. The air or fuel gets exposed to radiation of alpha-rays from thorium oxide power contained in the device resulting in air, fuel or a mixture thereof being activated. Since thorium oxide radiates primarily alpha-rays and almost no beta- or gamma-rays, the device promotes fuel combustion without any harm to human health. A method for producing the device is also disclosed.

Abstract: A transparent conductive film having a transparent oxide layer and a metal layer containing Ag, laminated in this order from a substrate side in a total of (2n+l) layers), wherein n is an integer of at least 1, wherein the transparent oxide layer contains ZnO and further contains In within a range of from 9 to 98 atomic % based on the sum of Zn and In, and a process for forming a transparent electrode.