Abstract: A wiring film having excellent adhesion and a low resistance is formed. A barrier film having copper as a main component and containing oxygen is formed on an object to form a film thereon by introducing an oxygen gas into a vacuum chamber in which the object to form a film thereon and sputtering a pure copper target. Then, after the introduction of the oxygen gas is stopped, a low-resistance film made of pure copper is formed by sputtering the pure copper target. Since the barrier film and the low-resistance film have copper as the main component, they can be patterned at a time. Since the low-resistance film has a resistance lower than that of the barrier film, the resistance of the entire wiring film is reduced. Since the barrier layer has high adhesion to glass and silicon, the entire wiring film has high adhesion.

Abstract: An electroconductive film having high adhesion and a low resistivity is formed. An electroconductive film composed mainly of copper and containing an addition metal such as Ti is formed by sputtering a target composed mainly of copper in a vacuum atmosphere into which a nitriding gas is introduced. Such an electroconductive film has high adhesion to a silicon layer and a substrate, and is hardly peeled from the substrate. Further, since the electroconductive film has a low resistivity and a low contact resistance to a transparent electroconductive film, the electric characteristics do not degrade even when it is used as an electrode film. The electroconductive film formed by the present invention is suitable particularly as a barrier film for an electrode of a TFT or a semiconductor element.

Abstract: A conductive film having high adhesion and low specific resistance is formed. A target containing copper as a main component is sputtered in vacuum ambience while an oxygen gas introduced, and then, a conductive film containing copper as a main component and additive metals, such as Ti or Zr, is formed. Such a conductive film has high adhesion to a silicon layer and a glass substrate and is hardly peeled off from the substrate. Furthermore, the specific resistance is low and the contact resistance to a transparent conductive film is also low. Thus, no deterioration in the electric characteristics occurs even when the conductive film is used for an electrode film. Accordingly, the conductive film formed by the present invention suited for TFT, and electrode films and barrier films of semiconductor elements, in particular.

Abstract: A printing apparatus and method for printing on a record medium utilizing an electric thermo-transfer process. The apparatus includes an ink sheet having an ink layer with heat-fusable ink thereon facing the record medium, and a resistive layer. A print head having at least a pair of opposed electrodes is in contact with the resistive layer. A driving circuit is coupled to the pair of opposed electrodes for applying a voltage to the pair of opposed electrodes. The applied voltage causes a current to flow in the ink sheet to heat the ink layer. A pulse width setting circuit controls the pulse width of the voltage applied to the electrodes to control the position and amount of heating of the ink. The system provides full-color printing on the record medium.