Abstract: There are provided a ceramic electronic component and a method for producing the ceramic electronic component, where a ground electrode layer can be directly coated with lead-free solder without lowering reliabilities. Terminal electrode 3 is provided with a ground electrode layer 21 of Cu having been formed by firing, a solder layer 22 formed of a lead-free solder based on five elements of Sn—Ag—Cu—Ni—Ge, and a diffusion layer 23 having been formed by the diffusion of Ni between the ground electrode layer 21 and the solder layer 22. Because the diffusion layer 23 of Ni is formed between the ground electrode layer 21 and the solder layer 22, the diffusion layer 23, which functions as a barrier layer, suppresses the solder leach of Cu from the ground electrode layer 21. The diffusion layer 23 of Ni can also suppress the growth of fragile intermetallic compounds of Sn—Cu. Therefore, a decrease in the bonding strength between the ground electrode layer 21 and the solder layer 22 can be prevented.

Abstract: There are provided a ceramic electronic component and a method for producing the ceramic electronic component, where a ground electrode layer can be directly coated with lead-free solder without lowering reliabilities. Terminal electrode 3 is provided with a ground electrode layer 21 of Cu having been formed by firing, a solder layer 22 formed of a lead-free solder based on five elements of Sn—Ag—Cu—Ni—Ge, and a diffusion layer 23 having been formed by the diffusion of Ni between the ground electrode layer 21 and the solder layer 22. Because the diffusion layer 23 of Ni is formed between the ground electrode layer 21 and the solder layer 22, the diffusion layer 23, which functions as a barrier layer, suppresses the solder leach of Cu from the ground electrode layer 21. The diffusion layer 23 of Ni can also suppress the growth of fragile intermetallic compounds of Sn—Cu. Therefore, a decrease in the bonding strength between the ground electrode layer 21 and the solder layer 22 can be prevented.

Abstract: An etching depth measuring device for measuring the etching depth of an object to be processed, when etching the object to be processed by using active species present in a plasma, the etching depth measuring device comprising: a chamber in which is formed an introduction port for introducing a part of the active species; a member to be processed which is housed in the chamber and etched by the part of the active species; and a mass detecting element which receives a substance generated from the member to be processed and detects the mass of the received substance.

Abstract: An ion source, comprising: a discharge chamber, in which is formed an opening; a coil, provided outside said discharge chamber, for generating plasma within said discharge chamber; an extraction electrode, which extracts ions in said plasma generated in said discharge chamber from said opening and generates an ion beam; a power supply device, which supplies power to said coil; and a control device, which can repeatedly halt output power output from said power supply device over prescribed intervals, while maintaining a value of said output power at a value, set in advance, which renders radial direction distribution of ion beam intensity of said ion beam uniform.

Abstract: An etching depth measuring device for measuring the etching depth of an object to be processed, when etching the object to be processed by using active species present in a plasma, the etching depth measuring device comprising: a chamber in which is formed an introduction port for introducing a part of the active species; a member to be processed which is housed in the chamber and etched by the part of the active species; and a mass detecting element which receives a substance generated from the member to be processed and detects the mass of the received substance.

Abstract: An ion source, comprising: a discharge chamber, in which is formed an opening; a coil, provided outside said discharge chamber, for generating plasma within said discharge chamber; an extraction electrode, which extracts ions in said plasma generated in said discharge chamber from said opening and generates an ion beam; a power supply device, which supplies power to said coil; and a control device, which can repeatedly halt output power output from said power supply device over prescribed intervals, while maintaining a value of said output power at a value, set in advance, which renders radial direction distribution of ion beam intensity of said ion beam uniform.

Abstract: An ion beam etching method comprises an etching step of etching an object to be processed with an ion beam extracted by an extraction electrode, and a cooling step of cooling the extraction electrode with an inert gas.

Abstract: An evaporation source includes an insulating container adapted to receive a volume of source material therein and a heater closely disposed around the container for heating and evaporating the source material into a vapor. The effective contact area of the container in contact with the source material is correlated to the volume of source material. The evaporation source is useful in the preparation of organic EL devices.

Abstract: An apparatus for preparing an organic EL device includes a substrate (1) and an evaporation source (2) in an evaporation chamber. The evaporation source (2) has a container (2) made of an insulator with a thermal conductivity of at least 50 W/m·k and receiving a source material therein and a surrounding resistance heater (3). When the source material is heated and evaporated from the source onto the substrate, a detector (5) detects the rate of evaporation of the source material on the substrate and delivers a detection signal to a control unit (6), which controls the heater (3) in accordance with the signal.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display element including at least two kinds of spherical particles as a gap holding material in which each hardness is different in liquid crystal injected into a gap between a pair of substrates. Particle diameter accuracy of each particle is not more than 4%, a particle diameter of the particle with high hardness is not more than a particle diameter of the particle with low hardness, a number of the particle with high hardness to the particle with low hardness is 1 to 4, an average particle diameter of the particle with low hardness to the particle with high hardness is 1 to 1.05 and compression modulus of the particle with high hardness to the particle with low hardness is 1.14 to 14.3. As a result, gap uniformity can be improved. Moreover, occurrence of gap irregularity at the time of low temperature and of impact can be prevented.