Abstract: Since the transfer speed of a substrate is controlled to compensate for a film-forming rate, and an electric power applied to heating means for heating the substrate is controlled so that thermal equilibrium of the substrate is maintained, a film having a uniform thickness and quality can be stably formed even when sputtering is performed for a long time.

Abstract: To provide a deposited-film forming process and a deposited-film forming apparatus that may cause no scratches on the film forming surface to improve yield and enable stable discharge to thereby continuously form deposited films having uniform quality and uniform thickness, deposited films are formed by lengthwise continuously transporting a belt-like substrate so as to form a part of a discharge space, wherein the substrate is transported while bringing the transverse sectional shape of the substrate which forms a part of the discharge space into a curved shape by a roller.

Abstract: A film forming method is described using an apparatus with a plurality of vacuum chambers which communicate with each other via a connection, where the apparatus has one or more detachable treatment rooms and where the method includes continuously forming a plurality of films on a band-shaped substrate within the treatment rooms, while continuously moving the substrate through the treatment rooms. The treatment rooms within said desired vacuum chambers are replaced after forming the film for a predetermined period as a part of the film forming method.

Abstract: A film forming apparatus for forming a plurality of films on a substrate through a continuous process, comprising a plurality of vacuum chambers in communication to each other via connection, at least vacuum chamber having internally a treatment detachable from the vacuum chamber for fulfilling a predetermined treatment on the substrate.

Abstract: A microwave plasma CVD apparatus comprising a hermetically sealed vacuum vessel, an evacuating means for evacuating the vacuum vessel, and microwave introducing means for introducing a microwave through a microwave transmission circuit into the vacuum vessel to produce a plasma within the vacuum vessel. The microwave transmission circuit includes a cavity resonator integrally provided with two matching circuits. The microwave plasma CVD apparatus solves all the problems in the conventional microwave plasma CVD apparatus, operates at a high rate of operation, improves working efficiency, reduces the manufacturing cost of a-Si devices, and reduces variance in performance between devices employing films deposited by the microwave plasma CVD apparatus. Since the microwave plasma CVD apparatus does not employ any large electromagnet, a film can be formed on a surface having a large area simply by selectively deciding a microwave propagation mode.

Abstract: A deposit film forming apparatus is characterized in that a temperature control member for controlling the temperature of a wall of deposition chamber is in contact with an outer wall of a deposition chamber through a heat conductivity adjusting plate, which can prevent overcooling while suppressing an increase in the temperature of the wall of deposition chamber during film formation and which can maintain the temperature of the wall of deposition chamber at a preferable temperature for deposition of film for a long time, thereby forming a deposit film. As a result, the apparatus can mass-produce deposit films of stable quality, especially, large-area and good-quality photovoltaic elements utilizing amorphous semiconductors, over a long period.

Abstract: A microwave plasma CVD method for continuously forming a large area and length functional deposited film, the method comprises: continuously moving a substrate web in the longitudinal direction by paying out it by a pay-out mechanism and taking up it by a take-up mechanism; establishing a substantially enclosed film-forming chamber by curving and projecting said moving substrate web to form a columnar portion to be the circumferential wall of said film forming chamber on the way moving from said pay-out mechanism toward said take-up mechanism; introducing a film-forming raw material gas through a gas feed means into said film-forming chamber; at the same time, radiating a microwave energy in said film-forming chamber by using a microwave applicator means, which is so designed that it can radiate a microwave energy in the direction parallel to the microwave propagating direction, to generate microwave plasma in said film-forming chamber, whereby continuously forming a deposited film on the inner wall face of s

Abstract: A microwave plasma processing apparatus comprises a vacuum processing chamber, a substrate disposed within the vacuum processing chamber, a microwave guide coupled to the vacuum processing chamber, and fins for dividing a microwave in the electric field direction. The length of fins are different such that the uniformity of the film thickness distribution on the substrate of large area can be improved.

Abstract: An apparatus for continuously forming a functional deposited film with a large area according to a microwave plasma CVD process is described. The apparatus comprises the elements of a continuous traveling band-shaped member containing a conductive member along its length during which a pillar-shaped film-forming space capable of being kept substantially in vacuum therein is established by the use of the traveling band-shaped member as a side wall for the film-forming space, charging starting gases for film formation through a gas feed means into the film-forming space, and simultaneously radiating a microwave through a microwave antenna in all directions vertical to the direction of movement of the microwave so that microwave power is supplied to the film-forming space to initiate a plasma in the space whereby the film is deposited on the surface of the continuously traveling band-shaped member which constitutes the side wall exposed to the plasma.

Abstract: A method for continuously forming a large area functional deposited film by a microwave plasma CVD process, said method comprises: continuously moving a substrate web in the longitudinal direction; establishing a substantially enclosed film-forming chamber having a film-forming space by curving and projecting said moving substrate web to form a columnar portion to be the circumferential wall of said film forming chamber on the way moving; introducing a film-forming raw material gas through a gas feed means into said film-forming space; at the same time, radiating or propagating microwave energy into said film-forming space by using a microwave applicator means capable of radiating or propagating said microwave energy with a directivity in one direction of microwave energy to propagate to generate microwave plasma in said film-forming space, whereby continuously forming a functional deposited film on the inner face of said continuously moving circumferential wall to be exposed to said microwave plasma.

Abstract: A microwave plasma CVD method for continuously forming a large area and length functional deposited film, the method comprises: continuously moving a substrate web in the longitudinal direction by paying out it by a pay-out mechanism and taking it up by a take-up mechanism; establishing a substantially enclosed film-forming chamber by curving and projecting the moving substrate web to form a columnar portion to be the circumferential wall of the film-forming chamber as the substrate is moving from the pay-out mechanism toward the take-up mechanism; introducing a film-forming raw material gas through a gas feeder into the film-forming chamber; and simultaneously, radiating a microwave energy in the film-forming chamber by using a microwave applicator, which is so designed that it can radiate a microwave energy in the direction parallel to the microwave propagating direction, to generate plasma in the film-forming chamber, thereby continuously forming a deposited film on the inner wall face of the continuously

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for exposing an object with a pulsed laser beam. The exposure of one shot (one exposure area) is achieved by a plurality of pulse exposures with laser light in a corresponding number of pulses, as the result of which any fluctuations or errors in the outputs of the pulses are substantially compensated so that correct exposure of each shot is assured. In another aspect, the amounts of exposures by the plural pulses for the one shot exposure are integrated and the integrated amount of exposure is compared with a correct or desired amount of exposure. On the basis of the result of comparison, an additional pulse exposure is effected in accordance with the degree of under exposure.

Abstract: A method for continuously forming a large area functional deposited film by a microwave plasma CVD process, said method comprises: continuously moving a substrate web in the longitudinal direction; establishing a substantially enclosed film-forming chamber having a film-forming space by curving and projecting said moving substrate web to form a columnar portion to be the circumferential wall of said film forming chamber; introducing a film-forming raw material gas through a gas feed means into said film-forming space; at the same time, radiating or propagating microwave energy into said film-forming space by using a microwave applicator means capable of radiating or propagating said microwave energy with a directivity in one direction perpendicular to the direction of microwave propagation, to thereby generate plasma in said film-forming space, whereby continuously forming a functional deposited film on the inner face of said continuoulsy moving circumferential wall which is exposed to said plasma.

Abstract: A method for continuously forming a functional deposited film with a large area according to a microwave plasma CVD process is described. The method comprises the steps of continuously traveling a band-shaped member containing a conductive member along its length during which a pillar-shaped film-forming space capable of being kept substantially in vacuum therein is established by the use of the traveling band-shaped member as a side wall for the film-forming space, charging starting gases for film formation through a gas feed means into the film-forming space, and simultaneously radiating a microwave through a microwave antenna in all directions vertical to the direction of movement of the microwave so that microwave power is supplied to the film-forming space to initiate a plasma in the space whereby the film is deposited on the surface of the continuously traveling band-shaped member which constitutes the side wall exposed to the plasma. An apparatus for carrying out the method is also described.

Abstract: A microwave plasma CVD apparatus includes a hermetically sealed vacuum vessel, a device for evacuating the vacuum vessel, and a device for introducing microwaves through a microwave transmission circuit into the vacuum vessel to produce a plasma within the vacuum vessel. The microwave transmission circuit includes a cavity resonator integrally provided with two matching circuits, one of which is a plunger for varying the length of the cavity resonator and the other of which is a pair of sliding matching irises. Feedback in the apparatus can be controlled by driving one of the matching circuits for rough matching of the microwave impedance and driving the other matching circuit for fine matching of the microwave impedance, so that the calculated ratio of the reflected power to the input power, based on a signal from a power monitor, is reduced to a minimum.

Abstract: A microwave plasma CVD apparatus which comprises a treating chamber having means for supporting a body to be treated therein, a plasma generating chamber connected to the treating chamber through a metal mesh, means for introducing a gas into the plasma generating chamber, and means for introducing microwave to convert the gas into a plasma. An embodiment thereof is characterized in that an oscillator for the microwave performs continuous oscillation, the plasma generating chamber constitutes a cylindrical cavity resonator surrounded by the metal mesh and a stop or stops, and a bell-jar smaller than the cavity in length and much smaller than the cavity in inside diameter is disposed in the cavity resonator in contact with the metal mesh to constitute a reentrant cylindrical cavity resonator through control of the position of the stop and the open area ratio of the aperture of the stop.

Abstract: A wafer position detecting device includes a laser source, a mirror for receiving the laser beam and reflecting it to a photosensor. Optically between the laser source and the photosensor, there is located a wafer cassette containing plural semiconductor wafers in the manner that the optical path of the laser is parallel to the surface of the wafer in the cassette, namely that the laser beam can incident on the edge of the wafer parallel to the surface thereof. Relative movement is caused between the wafer and the laser beam in the direction perpendicular to the wafer surface. The space or the wafer can be detected on the basis of the output of the photosensor.

Abstract: Illuminance distribution measuring method and apparatus, in which the quantity of light on an area irradiated by a light beam emitted from a light source is detected by a combination of first and second detectors. The first detector is movable along the area to be irradiated and detects the quantity of irradiating light incident on the area to be irradiated while moving along the area irradiated. The second detector is fixedly secured at a predetermined position relative to the light source and the area to be irradiated and receives the light beam emitted from the light source to irradiate the area to be irradiated. On the basis of the outputs from the first and second detectors, the illuminance distribution on the area irradiated is accurately measured irrespective of any intensity changes of the light beam emitted from the light source.

Abstract: An illumination optical system having a light source for supplying a light beam to illuminate an object and a collimator lens system for collimating the light beam emitted from the light source, the collimator lens system being arranged such that, even if any ghost beam is produced from a lens surface of the collimator lens system, the intensity of the ghost beam per unit area on the object is suppressed to such degree that does not cause deterioration of resolution. For this purpose, in an embodiment of the invention, the lens surface of the collimator lens system is shaped in a specific manner so as to control the position at which the ghost beam is concentrated or to be concentrated.

Abstract: A method for forming a deposition film by introducing a starting gas for formation of a deposition film into a reaction chamber housing a substrate therein and forming a deposition film on the substrate by irradiation with light comprises performing deposition by using a monochromatic light and a continuous polychromatic light in combination and projecting the lights on the substrate on which the deposition film is to be formed.