Abstract: A vacuum chamber includes a lower chamber 32, a power lead-in section 34 and an upper chamber 36, these being in communication with one another. A discharge chamber is constituted by the power lead-in section 34 and the upper chamber 36. The lower chamber 32 is made of metal. The power lead-in section 34 is one which has a ring shape, and in which a ring-shaped antenna 46 is embedded in a dielectric element 48. The inner and outer periphery and the bottom surface of the dielectric element 48 are covered by an electrically conductive cover 50. The height position of the top surface of a substrate holder 38 (the surface thereof which carries a substrate 26) is a high position which is higher than the height of the uppermost portion of the power lead-in section 34. In the interior of the discharge chamber discharge is produced and a plasma is generated by high-frequency power supplied from the power lead-in section 34. The substrate 26 is processed by this plasma.

Abstract: A sputtering apparatus has a permanent, magnet for forming, in front of a target, a magnetic field for magnetron discharging. The permanent magnet is disposed behind the target and an RF induction discharge coil is disposed in front of the target. The permanent magnet is contained inside an evacuated cathode case which is in the form of a container and which is provided therein with a circulation passage for cooling water. The cathode case and the RF induction discharge coil are enclosed therearound by a metallic cover which has an aperture for emitting sputtered particles. To make an element for a magnetoresistance head, a substrate is transferred from a load lock chamber to a pre-treatment chamber to clean it therein by an etching apparatus. The substrate is then transferred to an ultrahigh vacuum film deposition chamber which is provided therein with a plurality of inductively coupled RF plasma-assisted magnetron sputtering apparatuses which are evacuated to an ultrahigh vacuum.

Abstract: A hard sintered alloy having not only a wear resistance, a high corrosion resistance and a heat resistance but also a sufficiently high strength and a high tenacity in a wide temperature region from normal temperature to a high temperature is provided. In a sintered alloy comprising a hard phase containing mainly 35-95% of Mo.sub.2 NiB.sub.2 type complex boride, and a binding phase of hard phase binding Ni group constituting the rest, 0.1-8% of Mn with respect to the whole composition is. added, whereby a hard sintered alloy having a high strength, a high tenacity and a high corrosion resistance is obtained.

Abstract: A surface processing apparatus includes a microwave generator which generates low UHF band microwaves of from 300 MHz to 1 GHz, a cavity resonator in which the microwaves generated in the microwave generator resonate in the TM 010 mode, an airtight process chamber which is connected to the cavity resonator, a radiation plate which is arranged in a part of the cavity resonator which is connected with the process chamber, the radiation plate has a plurality of radiation holes which are established symmetrically with respect to a central axis of the cavity resonator, and cover plates made of a dielectric material which close off the radiation holes in an airtight manner.

Abstract: A plasma enhanced CVD apparatus includes a processing chamber, a pumping system for evacuating the processing chamber, a gas inlet system for introducing a source gas, and a plasma generating electrode provided in the processing chamber for depositing a film on a substrate in the processing chamber by plasma generated by electrical power supplied to the plasma generating electrode; the plasma generating electrode has two terminals, one of the terminals is connected to a radio frequency power source and other of the terminals is grounded through an electrode potential controlling system; and the processing chamber is grounded through an inner wall potential controlling system. The present invention is further directed to a plasma enhanced CVD process, a dry etching apparatus, and a dry etch process.

Abstract: A method of depositing a titanium-containing conductive thin film, which is capable of depositing a high-quality thin film having a low chlorine content by grounding, through a capacitor, a terminal of a plasma generating electrode disposed in a processing chamber. In the method, one of the introduction terminals of the plasma generating electrode is connected to a radio-frequency power source, the other terminal being grounded through the capacitor. Titanium tetrachloride, hydrogen gas, and nitrogen gas are introduced into the processing chamber at flowrates of 20 ml/min, 30 ml/min and 10 ml/min, respectively. The pressure in the processing chamber is set to about 1 Pa, and the temperature of the substrate is set to 450.degree. to 600.degree. C. A low-pressure, high-density plasma is generated with an output of the radio-frequency power source of 2.5 kW to deposit a titanium nitride film at a rate of about 30 nm/min.

Abstract: An inductive coupling plasma processing apparatus is equipped with a dielectric portion through which high-frequency electric power is introduced and in which a plasma discharge is generated, and the antenna for supplying a discharge chamber with electric power is arranged near the dielectric portion. The dielectric portion is formed on a vacuum chamber having an inside space with low pressure, into which a reactive gas is introduced. The antenna surrounds the dielectric portion and the area of a nearest surface facing the dielectric portion is minimized. The antenna is desired to be so configured that a shape of its cross section perpendicular to a flow direction of a high-frequency current is a flat rectangle, and a long side of the cross section is substantially perpendicular to an outside surface of the dielectric portion.

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus is provided with a plasma generating mechanism including an electric discharge chamber and an annular antenna, a plasma diffusion chamber for diffusing plasma generated by the plasma generating mechanism for processing a substrate, a first temperature adjusting mechanism for adjusting the temperature of the plasma diffusion chamber, a magnetic field generating mechanism arranged around the plasma diffusion chamber to generate a magnetic field in the plasma diffusion chamber, an evacuating mechanism, a gas introducing mechanism, and a substrate holding mechanism. The magnetic field generating mechanism includes permanent magnets and a yoke, and a heat insulating portion is formed between the permanent magnets and the plasma diffusion chamber. A second temperature adjusting mechanism for adjusting the temperature of the permanent magnets is used.

Abstract: There is provided a hard alloyed powder comprising:B--from 3 to 20% by weight,Al--less than 3% by weight,Si--less than 5% by weight,O--less than 2.5% by weight,at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Cr, Mo, W, Ti, V, Nb, Ta, Hf, Zr, Co and Ni, in the following amounts: Cr from 5 to 35% by weight, Mo from 1 to 35% by weight, W from 0.5 to 30% by weight and each of Ti, V, Nb, Ta, Hf, Zr, Co and Ni--less than 15% by weight, andthe balance being at least 10% by weight of Fe.A method for the production of said alloy powder is also provided and comprises atomizing molten alloy with water or inert gas in a specific manner.