Abstract: This invention relates to a microwave plasma processing method and apparatus.An electromagnetic field intensity distribution of a microwave, which is incident into a plasma generation chamber and is again incident due to irregular reflection, is made uniform by uniforming means fixed inside a waveguide, a processing gas is converted to plasma by use of the microwave having the uniformed electromagnetic field intensity distribution, and a sample is plasma-processed by the resulting plasma. Accordingly, the electro-magnetic field of the microwave, which is incident, and is again incident, into the plasma generation region and locally increases a plasma density, is absorbed, attenuated or diffused by the uniforming means so that the distribution of the plasma density is made uniform and uniform processing can be effected.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a plasma processor, and the plasma processor comprises a processing chamber, means to reduce a pressure in the processing chamber so as to evacuate the interior thereof, means to introduce a processing gas into the processing chamber, means to generate an electric field within the processing chamber, and means to establish a magnetic field orthogonal to the electric field, this means being rotatable relative to a surface to-be-processed of a sample which is processed in a plasma arising under the action of the electric field and the magnetic field, whereby a space required for the movement of the means to establish the magnetic field orthogonal to the electric field can be reduced to miniaturize the processor, and the uniform processing of the sample can be attained using rotatable plasma.

Abstract: The present invention is concerned with a dry-etching method wherein a gaseous mixture of boron trichloride, chlorine and a hydrocarbon, to be used as an etching gas, is converted into plasma to etch aluminum or its alloys with ions or radicals formed thereby. The invention makes it possible to accomplish the anisotropic etching of aluminum or its alloys at high speeds with a low RF power density.

Abstract: This invention relates to an air separation method and apparatus for liquefying and separating feed air into oxygen and nitrogen by use of a single rectification column. The temperature of the feed air, which is liquefied, is reduced to the temperature necessary for the condensation and liquefaction of pure vaporous nitrogen inside the single rectification column and is used to condense and liquefy the pure vaporous nitrogen and vaporize the feed air. After the pressure of the feed air thus vaporized is raised to the pressure necessary for the condensation and liquefaction of the pure vaporous nitrogen inside the single rectification column, the vaporized feed air is introduced into the single rectification column so that pure gaseous nitrogen can be withdrawn from the top of the single rectification column, pure gaseous oxygen from a lower portion of the column and waste gas rich in nitrogen from an intermediate portion of the column.

Abstract: A temperature control method for a reversing type heat exchanger group wherein an outlet temperature of reheating gas of an arbitrarily selected reversing type heat exchanger which serves as a reference in the reversing heat exchanger group is rendered equal in value to a reference control temperature set beforehand in such a manner so as to satisfy the sweeping temperature difference. The outlet temperatures of the reheating gas in the other reversing type heat exchangers of the reversing type heat exchanger group are rendered equal in value to the outlet temperature of the reheating gas in the reversing type heat exchanger serving as the reference. Thus, the temperature of the cold end of all of the reversing type heat exchangers of the reversing type heat exchanger group are caused to be balanced equally whereby ice and dry ice deposited on the feed water channels can be effectively removed by a sweeping action.