Abstract: Present invention suppresses undesirable effects of the bubbles trapped in a silica glass crucible on single crystallization during the pulling process under a high-temperature load. When raw material powder is melted in a mold 1, graphite components of electrodes and impurities contained in the raw material are removed by introducing hydrogen gas and/or oxygen gas immediately after the start of arc discharge. Graphite and impurities are prevented from entering the product crucible, thereby suppressing the volume increase rate of the bubbles and reducing the inner pressure of the bubbles. Gases remaining in voids of an accumulated layer of silica powder formed inside the mold 1 can be replaced with helium gas, by supplying helium gas to the accumulated layer from the mold 1.

Abstract: Disclosed is a vaporizer constituted of a dispersing section 8 and a vaporizing section 22. The dispersing section 8 comprises a gas introduction port 4 for introducing a carrier gas 3 under pressure into a gas passage, means for feeding raw material solutions 5a and 5b to the gas passage, and a gas outlet 7 for delivering the carrier gas containing the raw material solutions to the vaporizing section 22. The vaporizing section 22 comprises a vaporizing tube 20 having one end connected to a reaction tube of the MOCVD system and having the other end connected to the gas outlet 7 of the dispersing section 8, and heating means for heating the vaporizing tube 20. The vaporizing section 22 serves to heat and vaporize the raw material solution containing carrier gas 3 delivered from the dispersing section 8. The dispersing section 8 includes a dispersing section body 1 having a cylindrical hollow portion, and a rod 10 having an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the cylindrical hollow portion.

Abstract: A substrate body transfer apparatus, and an operating method therefor, capable of inserting and extracting substrate body into and from a cassette using air conveyance without employing a transfer mechanism such as those in which direct contact is made with the substrate body when inserting or extracting a thin plate-shaped substrate body into or from a cassette. The substrate body transfer apparatus is employed when thin plate-shaped substrate body are extracted from or inserted into cassettes which store the substrate body.

Abstract: A substrate body transfer apparatus which is capable of isolating the atmospheres of an external processing apparatus and an air conveyance apparatus and preventing the mutual contamination thereof, and which is capable of conducting the transfer of substrate bodies at a low level of particulate matter and contamination which satisfies the ultra-clean level. The substrate body transfer apparatus is provided with a vacuum container having an entrance and exit which communicate with the interior space of an air conveyance apparatus and the interior space of an external processing apparatus; a horizontal disc-shaped upper part valve and lower part valve are housed within the vacuum container and after the substrate body has been placed in a space surrounded by the upper and lower valves and this space has been sealed, the space is evacuated or the gas therein is replaced.

Abstract: Organic matter and metal impurities present on the surface of a photomask are removed. Foreign matter still adhering to the surface of the photomask is removed with H2 gas dissolved water. The photomask is dried. Thus provided is a method of washing a photomask in a manner which permits attaining an effect of removing foreign matter equivalent or superior to that of a conventional method with a small amount of chemical solution and reducing the amounts of chemicals and high purity water.

Abstract: Organic matter and metal impurities present on the surface of a photomask are removed. Foreign matter still adhering to the surface of the photomask is removed with H2 gas dissolved water. The photomask is dried. Thus provided is a method of washing a photomask in a manner which permits attaining an effect of removing foreign matter equivalent or superior to that of a conventional method with a small amount of chemical solution and reducing the amounts of chemicals and high purity water.

Abstract: A vapor drying apparatus for semiconductor wafers, which is capable of preventing dust particles from entering the interior of the vapor drying apparatus incorporating therein a water washing part and a vapor drying part for a semiconductor wafer and, at the same time, thoroughly removing from the surface of a vapor dried semiconductor wafer the vapor cleaner adhering in the form of film or in a molecular thickness to the surface or an organic substance contained in the cleaner thereby bringing the surface of the semiconductor wafer to an ideally cleaned and dried state.

Abstract: A vapor drying apparatus for semiconductor wafers, which is capable of preventing dust particles from entering the interior of the vapor drying apparatus incorporating therein a water washing part and a vapor drying part for a semiconductor wafer and, at the same time, thoroughly removing from the surface of a vapor dried semiconductor wafer the vapor cleaner adhering in the form of film or in a molecular thickness to the surface of an organic substance contained in the cleaner thereby bring the surface of the semiconductor wafer to an ideally cleaned and dried state.

Abstract: A solar simulator produces synthetic spectral distribution characteristic with sufficiently high uniformity and repeatability and permits the intensity of output light to be varied without substantially deviating the spectral distribution of output light. The solar simulator includes filter means capable of eliminating the near infrared component from the light of a xenon short arc lamp and, extracting the near infrared component from the light of an incandescent filament lamp enable the two kinds of lights which are selected by the filter means to be directed coaxially to an integrating optical system.