Abstract: The carbon layer forming method starts a film deposition process of a carbon layer by vapor phase deposition after a content of particles having a particle size of 0.5 &mgr;m or more is adjusted in a film deposition system of the carbon layer to 1000 particles/ft3/min or less. The carbon layer forming method by means of a vapor phase deposition technique such as sputtering or CVD ensures that a high-quality carbon layer having significantly reduced pinholes or cracks can be obtained. Since the carbon protective layer obtained by this method has no cracking and delamination due to pinholes and cracks, the thermal head having the carbon protective layer has a sufficient durability to ensure that high reliability is exhibited over an extended period of time to perform thermal recording of high-quality images consistently over an extended period of operation.

Abstract: The stimulable phosphor sheet has a stimulable phosphor layer formed by a vacuum film forming technique. The stimulable phosphor layer contains a europium-activated cesium bromide based stimulable phosphor as a main ingredient. A maximum intensity of emission that is generated in a wavelength range of 490-510 nm when the stimulable phosphor layer is exposed to electron beams is lower than a maximum intensity of the emission generated in a wavelength range of 440-460 nm.

Abstract: A thermal head lapping apparatus includes a pallet for holding at least one thermal head, a transport device for transporting the thermal head held on the pallet successively to a specified processing position, and a lapping device for forcing a lapping material being moved onto the thermal head that has been transported to said processing position. As a result, the apparatus is capable of advantageously performing lapping treatment with a good efficiency on surfaces to be coated with protective layers or the formed protective layers in a process of fabricating a thermal head, thereby improving the production efficiency of the thermal head and fabricating with a good productivity the suitably lapped thermal head of high quality that ensures high quality image recording.

Abstract: The apparatus for producing sheeting includes a transport unit which transports a web of sheeting along its length direction, a pattern transfer unit which forms a pattern on a surface of the sheeting by transfer and that is provided in a pathway where the web of sheeting is transported by the transport unit, a film depositing unit which performs vacuum film deposition on the patterned surface of the web of sheeting and that is provided downstream of the pattern transfer unit in the pathway, and a pressure retaining unit which retains pressure within the film depositing unit and that is provided in a region of the film depositing unit into which the web of sheeting is transported and in a region of the film depositing unit from which the web of sheeting emerges.

Abstract: A thermal head fabricating method forms a lower protective layer made of ceramics for protecting a plurality of heat-generating resistors and electrodes, subjects the lower protective layer to etching processing by a plasma and forms a carbon protective layer on the thus subjected lower protective layer. The etching processing is performed using a mask which defines an area where the carbon protective layer is formed, a protective layer is formed on a surface of the mask, and the protective layer is made of a material which is etched at an extremely slow rate or substantially not etched compared with ceramics composing the lower protective layer and/or which does not impart an adverse effect to the carbon protective layer that is subsequently formed.

Abstract: A thermal head lapping apparatus includes a pallet for holding at least one thermal head, a transport device for transporting the thermal head held on the pallet successively to a specified processing position, and a lapping device for forcing a lapping material being moved onto the thermal head that has been transported to said processing position. As a result, the apparatus is capable of advantageously performing lapping treatment with a good efficiency on surfaces to be coated with protective layers or the formed protective layers in a process of fabricating a thermal head, thereby improving the production efficiency of the thermal head and fabricating with a food productivity the suitably lapped thermal head of high quality that ensures high quality image recording.

Abstract: The optical component includes a substrate made of a resin material, a silicon oxide film formed on a surface of the substrate, and a multilayer light reflection preventing film formed on the silicon oxide film, and having at least one layer of a low-refractive-index material and at least one layer of a high-refractive-index material being alternately formed. The silicon oxide film is thick and/or formed by introducing oxygen during film forming by vacuum deposition so that a preset elasticity is imparted to the silicon oxide film. Other optical component includes a substrate made of a resin material and a plurality of films formed by vacuum deposition, and directions of internal stresses in each adjacent pair of the plurality of films are different from each other or a thickness of an impurity existing on a surface of the substrate is 0.2 nm or less.

Abstract: The vacuum deposition apparatus includes a vacuum chamber, a plurality of evaporation positions set in the vacuum chamber and provided with film-forming materials in such a way that a film-forming material is placed at a evaporation position, a heating device for heating each of the film-forming materials, and arranged in correspondence with each of the plurality of evaporation positions, and a feeding device for feeding one of the film-forming materials into one of the plurality of evaporation positions during film deposition, and arranged in correspondence with at least one of the plurality of evaporation positions. Accordingly, the vacuum deposition apparatus is able to form a thick deposited film by multiple-source vacuum deposition independently heating two or more film-forming materials.

Abstract: This optical component includes a film formation substrate made of plastic, a magnesium fluoride film formed at an upper side of the film formation substrate and a first silicon oxide film formed on the magnesium fluoride film. The magnesium fluoride film may be formed on a surface of the film formation substrate. Alternatively, the optical component further may include a second silicon oxide film formed on a surface of the film formation substrate and between the film formation substrate and the magnesium fluoride film. The optical component can be realized, which is excellent in film adhesiveness, mechanical strength, drug resistance, environment resistance, and the like, as well as optical characteristics, and which is also excellent in productivity, film formation operability, cost, and the like.

Abstract: The thermal head fabricating method forms a lower protective layer made of ceramics for protecting a plurality of heat-generating resistors and electrodes, subjects the lower protective layer to etching processing by a plasma and forms a carbon protective layer on the thus subjected lower protective layer. The etching processing is performed using a mask which defines an area where the carbon protective layer is formed, a protective layer is formed on a surface of the mask, and the protective layer is made of a material which is etched at an extremely slow rate or substantially not etched compared with ceramics composing the lower protective layer and/or which does not impart an adverse effect to the carbon protective layer that is subsequently formed.

Abstract: The method of forming a carbon layer by vapor phase deposition starts a film deposition process of the carbon layer after a surface to be coated with the carbon layer is heated while adjusting a partial pressure of moisture in a film deposition system of the carbon layer to 5×10−6 Torr or less. This carbon layer forming method by means of a vapor phase deposition technique such as sputtering ensures that a high-quality carbon layer having high adhesion to the lower layer and significantly reduced pinholes or cracks is obtained.

Abstract: The thermal head fabrication method provides a thermal head having a lower protective layer composed of at least one sub-layer on heat generators and electrodes, an intermediate protective layer composed of at least one sub-layer on the lower protective layer and an upper protective layer composed of at least one sub-layer with carbon as a main component on the intermediate protective layer. At least one of surfaces of the lower and intermediate protective layers is cleaned by ion irradiation processing, by polishing with a lapping tape or an adhesive tape, or by heating processing in vacuum before forming a higher protective layer. This allows the thermal head to have excellent adhesion between any individual layers and sufficient durability to ensure that the thermal recording of high-quality images is consistently performed over an extended period of time.

Abstract: A magnetic recording medium 101 constituted by a nonmagnetic support 101 made from a high polymer film having a thickness in a range of from 10 .mu.m to 200 .mu.m, a nonmagnetic subbing layer 102 made from a Cr alloy and formed on at least one of opposite surfaces of the nonmagnetic support 101 in the form of a film by sputtering, and a magnetic layer 103 made from a Co alloy and formed on the nonmagnetic subbing layer 102 in the form of a film by sputtering. Preferably, the magnetic recording medium 101 further has a protective layer 104 made from diamond-like carbon, and a lubricating layer 105 made from a hydrocarbon or fluorocarbon lubricant.

Abstract: A film-forming apparatus for making it possible to form a thin film on a web-like high-molecular film substrate, comprising: a vacuum chamber provided with an evacuator; a gas introducing member for introducing a thin-film-forming gas into the vacuum chamber; a plasma generating member for generating plasma in the vacuum chamber; a substrate carrying member for carrying the substrate to the neighborhood of the plasma generated by the plasma generating member; and a bias voltage applying member for applying a desired bias voltage to the substrate.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for producing a magnetic recording medium in which production of flakes in a film-forming process and the occurrence of arc discharge in the film-forming surface of a substrate are prevented to thereby attain improvement in the quality of the resulting film and in producing efficiency. A web-like substrate is made to run in a vacuum chamber while the substrate is arranged opposite to a sheet-shaped plasma stream. At the same time, a reactive gas is supplied to the plasma stream while an electric field is generated in a direction crossing the plasma stream and the substrate, which are arranged opposite to each other to thereby form a thin film on the plasma stream side surface of the substrate. Accordingly, the production of flakes is prevented, so that the occurrence of arc discharge in the film-forming surface of the substrate is prevented.

Abstract: When vapor-depositing a magnetic material 6 onto a base 3 in a vacuum vapor deposition tank 1, to clean the residue of evaporated atoms evaporated from the magnetic material 6 adhering undesirably to members 9, 10 constituting the vacuum vapor deposition tank 1, the members 9, 10 are separated and transported to a cleaning position after the completion of the process of vapor deposition onto the base 3, and the members 9, 10 are cleaned by a cleaning robot 21 arranged to be capable of controlling the cleaning direction, water pressure, and the like at the cleaning position. The members 9, 10 are then allowed to wait at the standby position in preparation for an ensuing vapor deposition process, and cleaning water is accommodated in a tank to ensure reutilization.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium at high efficiency. A flexible web is passed around first and second cooling cans. The web is reversed between the two cans so that the same surface of the web is directed to the outside on both cans. A single evaporation source produces an evaporated stream of magnetic film forming material which impinges on the web as it passes around both cans, thereby to form two films of the evaporated magnetic material on the same surface of the web.

Abstract: A continuous polymeric substrate for a magnetic recording medium, on which magnetic material is deposited during which the end portions of both sides of the substrate is masked, is wound up on a wind-up roll in a vacuum atmosphere while the substrate is fluctuated in a width direction by a fluctuating width ranging from 0.2 mm to 40 mm in a fluctuating cycle ranging from 10 seconds to 1000 seconds.

Abstract: A plural-cathode sputtering apparatus capable of producing mixed thin films having a period of stratification as small as 10 .ANG. without putting an undue load on the power supplies. Two different types of targets are provided on a cathode side, and a substrate onto which sputtering is performed is provided on the anode side. Magnetic field generators produce magnetic fields substantially perpendicularly intersecting the electric fields generated between the plate and the targets near and front sides of the targets. The magnetic field generators are each composed of main magnets and electromagnets, which may be combined with the main magnets. Electrical currents are produced for exciting the electromagnets which are controlled in such a manner as to change the magnetic intensity of the magnetic fields and to thereby regulate the sputtering discharge.