Abstract: The invention provides methods for sharpening the tip of an electrical conductor. The methods of the invention are capable of producing tips with an apex radius of curvature less than 2 nm. The methods of the invention are based on simultaneous direction of ionized atoms towards the apex of a previously sharpened conducting tip and application of an electric potential difference to the tip. The sign of the charge on the ions is the same as the sign of the electric potential. The methods of the invention can be used to sharpen metal wires, metal wires tipped with conductive coatings, multi-walled carbon nanotubes, semiconducting nanowires, and semiconductors in other forms.

Abstract: A method of forming an inorganic alignment film made substantially of an inorganic material on a base substrate is provided comprising a milling process of irradiating ion beams onto the surface of the base substrate, on which the inorganic alignment film is to be formed, from a direction inclined at a predetermined angle ?b with respect to a direction vertical to the surface, and a film-forming process of forming the inorganic alignment film on the base substrate onto which the ion beams are irradiated. In the milling process, the predetermined angle ?b is preferably 2° or more. In the milling process, an acceleration voltage of the ion beams during the irradiation of the ion beams is preferably 400 to 1400 V.

Abstract: A magnet unit, which can realize uniform film thickness distribution of a thin film formed on a substrate without increasing the length and width of a target. The magnet unit includes a peripheral magnet, which is disposed on the yoke on the back side of a cathode electrode so as to follow the outline of a target, and an inner magnet disposed in the peripheral magnet and having a polarity different from the polarity of the peripheral magnet. The magnet unit provides a magnetic track MT that is a set of regions which tangents of magnetic field lines M generated on the target parallels to the target surface. The magnet unit further includes n (n is a positive integer of two or more) extending magnetic pole portions and n?1 projecting magnetic pole portions, which form 2n?1 folded shape portions U at the both ends in the longitudinal direction of the magnetic track.

Abstract: To provide a sputtering apparatus that enables oblique film forming by arranging a target and a substrate so as to allow sputtered particles emitted from the target to obliquely enter the substrate selectively, and can form a magnetic film having high uniaxial magnetic anisotropy uniformly and compactly. A sputtering apparatus includes a cathode having a sputtering target supporting surface, the cathode being provided with a rotation axis about which the sputtering target supporting surface rotates, and a stage having a substrate supporting surface, the stage being provided with a rotation axis about which the substrate supporting surface rotates, and the sputtering apparatus is constituted such that the sputtering target supporting surface and the substrate supporting surface face to each other, and are rotatable independently about respective rotation axes.

Abstract: A sputter deposition apparatus and method, and a substrate holder for use with a sputter deposition apparatus is disclosed. According to one embodiment of the invention, a sputter deposition apparatus is provided, including at least one sputter target, a first plasma, a substrate holder, and a further plasma. In one embodiment, the further plasma is an ECWR plasma. According to an additional embodiment of the invention, an anode is provided between the further plasma, and the substrate holder. According to a further embodiment, the substrate holder includes a dielectric layer with varying thickness.

Abstract: A transfer chamber for a substrate processing tool includes a main body having side walls adapted to couple to at least one processing chamber and at least one load lock chamber. The main body houses at least a portion of a robot adapted to transport a substrate between the processing chamber and the load lock chamber. A lid couples to and seals a top of the main body of the transfer chamber. The transfer chamber also has a domed bottom adapted to couple to and to seal a bottom portion of the main body of the transfer chamber.

Abstract: The invention provides a method of forming a magnetic layer with stable magnetic properties and stable recording-and-reproducing properties, by uniformizing the distribution of oxygen radical concentration upon reactive sputtering, and thereby uniformizing the concentration of oxygen to be taken into the magnetic layer along the plane direction.

Abstract: It is in the object of the present invention to improve current deposition processes and devices for the fabrication of multilayer systems to better control the energy contribution at different stages of the deposition. This is achieved by depositing films by sputtering in a scheme providing for thermalized particles. One can get thermalized particles by choosing the working gas pressure and the distance between target and substrate to result in a mean free path of particles smaller than the distance between target and substrate or to result in a product of pressure and distance being larger than 2.0 cmPa.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention may provide a microchip applicable to an electrophoresis employing UV detection and a method of manufacturing the same. The microchip of the present invention has a glass channel plate, which is formed on an upper surface thereof with a loading channel and a separation channel and is provided on the upper surface thereof with an optical slit layer made of silicon except the channel region, and a glass reservoir plate, which is formed with sample solution reservoirs and buffer solution reservoirs. The loading channel and the separation channel are formed on the channel plate by deep reactive ion etching. The sample solution reservoirs and the buffer solution reservoirs are formed in the reservoir plate by sand blasting. The channel plate and the reservoir plate are combined by anodic bonding the optical slit layer and the reservoir plate. Electrodes for sample and electrodes for buffer are deposited by sputtering Pt with a shadow mask after anodic bonding.

Abstract: A magnetron sputtering apparatus includes: a target provided in a sputtering chamber; a susceptor opposed to the target; a high-frequency power supply connected to the susceptor; a plate provided outside the sputtering chamber and coaxial with a central axis of the target; a rotary motion mechanism configured to rotate the plate about the central axis; S-pole magnets placed on one side of the plate with their S-pole end directed to the target; and first and second N-pole magnets placed on the one side of the plate with their N-pole end directed to the target. The first N-pole magnets are placed along a circle coaxial with the plate and opposed to an outer peripheral vicinity of the target. The S-pole magnets are placed inside the first N-pole magnets and along a circle coaxial with the plate. The second N-pole magnets are placed inside the S-pole magnets and along a circle coaxial with the plate.

Abstract: There is disclosed a manufacturing method of a phase shift mask blank in which dispersions of phase angle and transmittance among blanks can be reduced as much as possible and yield is satisfactory. In the manufacturing method of the phase shift mask blank, a process of using a sputtering method to continuously form a thin film on a transparent substrate comprises: successively subjecting a plurality of substrates to a series of process of supplying the transparent substrate into a sputtering chamber, forming the thin film for forming a pattern in the sputtering chamber, and discharging the transparent substrate with the film formed thereon from the sputtering chamber; supplying and discharging the transparent substrate substantially at a constant interval; and setting a film formation time to be constant among a plurality of blanks.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for depositing a layer of a material which contains a metal on a workpiece surface, in an installation including a deposition chamber; a workpiece support providing a workpiece support surface within the chamber; a coil within the chamber, the coil containing the metal that will be contained in the layer to be deposited; and an RF power supply connected to deliver RF power to the coil in order to generate a plasma within the chamber, a DC self bias potential being induced in the coil when only RF power is delivered to the coil. A DC bias potential which is different in magnitude from the DC self bias potential is applied to the coil from a DC voltage source.

Abstract: The present invention is drawn to an apparatus for forming a thin film. The apparatus includes a vacuum chamber; a vacuum apparatus connected to the vacuum chamber; a holder placed in the vacuum chamber, which holder holds a substrate and is rotated by means of a rotating mechanism; a plasma CVD apparatus; and a sputtering apparatus, wherein the plasma CVD apparatus and the sputtering apparatus are placed in a single vacuum chamber and a thin film having an medium refractive index is formed on the substrate held by the holder, by means of the plasma CVD apparatus and the sputtering apparatus. The method making use of such an apparatus is also disclosed.

Abstract: Described is a method for producing a diffusion bonded sputtering assembly which is thermally treated to precipitation harden the backing plate without compromising the diffusion bond integrity. The method includes heat treating and quenching to alloy solution and artificially age the backing plate material after diffusion bonding to a target. Thermal treatment of the diffusion bonded sputtering target assembly includes quenching by partial-immersion in a quenchant and is performed after diffusion bonding and allows for various tempers in the backing plate.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating a plasma by inductively coupling electromagnetic energy into the plasma. In one embodiment, first and second antenna coils are disposed about the circumference of the plasma containment area. The first and second antenna coils are relatively spaced along the longitudinal axis of the plasma containment area. A current is generated in the first and second antenna coils. A phase shift regulating network establishes a difference between the phase of the current in the first antenna and the phase of the current in the second antenna. The phase difference corresponds to the phase difference required to launch a helicon wave in the plasma. In a second embodiment, a chamber shield is made of a conductive material and is coupled to the RF source such that the shield functions as an RF antenna. The shield may be coupled in series to a coil surrounding the shield to increase the resultant flux density.

Abstract: When a thin film is formed on a flexible and filmy substrate by a vapor phase method, the substrate is prevented from warping to be caused by the internal stress remaining in the thin film. When the thin film is formed by the vapor phase method, the substrate is previously curved so that the stress acts in the direction canceling the internal stress remaining in the thin film to be formed prior to the filming. Accordingly, the stress of the curved substrate cancels out the stress remaining in the thin film formed on the substrate. The substrate having a thin film formed thereon is not warped, the stress in the interface between the thin film formed and the substrate is removed, and the thin film has no cracks to be caused by the stress.

Abstract: A combination coil and shield for a plasma chamber in a semiconductor fabrication system is provided. The coil-shield has a plurality of turns to couple energy efficiently into a plasma and also substantially blocks deposition material from reaching a second shield positioned behind the first shield.

Abstract: A plasma chamber in a semiconductor fabrication system improves the uniformity of a high density plasma by optimizing a ratio of RF power from a first coil, surrounding and inductively coupled into the high density plasma, to RF power from a second coil, positioned above a central region and inductively coupled into the high density plasma. It has also been found that an increase in RF power supplied to the second coil positioned above the central region relative to RF power suppled to the first coil surrounding the high density plasma tends to increase the relative density of the plasma toward the center of the high density plasma. It is believed that RF power supplied to the second coil positioned above the central region substrate tends to add more electrons into the central region of the high density plasma to compensate for electrons recombining with plasma ions.

Abstract: A film forming apparatus for forming a minute thin film at a high depositing rate, which comprises a substrate holding means for holding a substrate, a target holding means for holding a target, a gas supply means for supplying a sputtering gas for sputtering the target into a reaction chamber, and an electric power supply means for supplying an electric power for causing an electric discharge between the target and the substrate, wherein a partition member having a plurality of openings provided between the target and the substrate, and wherein means for supplying a reaction gas and a microwave are provided in a space between the partition member and the substrate.

Abstract: A light quantity correction filter that can implement the desired transmittance distribution precisely and easily without complicating an exposure system, a method of making the light quantity correction filter, and a method of manufacturing a color cathode ray tube using the light quantity correction filter are provided.