Abstract: A two-component developer is provided. The two-component developer includes a toner containing a binder resin, a colorant and a release agent, and a resin-coated carrier composed of a carrier core material and a resin coating layer formed on a surface of the carrier core material. The toner has an exposure rate of the release agent on the toner surface of 1.00% or above and 3.07% or below. The carrier core material has an apparent density of 1.86 g/cm3 or more and 2.45 g/cm3 or less. The exposure rate of the release agent of the toner and the apparent density of the carrier core material satisfy the following formula (1): y??1.54x+5.93 ??(1) wherein y represents the exposure rate of the release agent of the toner, and x represents the apparent density of the carrier core material.

Abstract: A resin-coated carrier is provided. A resin-coated carrier includes a carrier core and a resin coating layer formed on a surface of the carrier core. The carrier core is composed of a porous material having surface fine pores formed on a surface thereof, and has an apparent density of 1.6 to 2.0 g/cm3. The resin coating layer contains cross-linked fine resin particles. Additionally, the resin-coated carrier is configured such that a volume average particle size of the cross-linked fine resin particles contained in the resin coating layer and an area average diameter of the surface fine pores satisfy a predetermined relational expression.

Abstract: A method for producing a low density resin-coated carrier having a small resin amount to a carrier core material and having a uniform resin coating layer formed on the carrier core material is provided. A resin-coated carrier has a carrier core material and a resin coating layer formed on the surface of the carrier core material. The carrier core material has pores and an apparent density of 1.6 g/cm3 to 2.0 g/cm3 and a remanent magnetization of 10 emu/g of less. The resin coating layer is formed by a dry process of adhering resin particles to a surface of the carrier core material and applying heat and impact force to the resin particles. A volume average particle size of the resin particles is less than 1 ?m. A two-component developer containing the resin-coated carrier is charged in a developing device in an image forming apparatus, and an image is formed.

Abstract: A resin coated carrier is provided that can stably charge a toner having added thereto an external additive having a large particle size over a long period of time and can prevent blocking of a developer. The resin coated carrier satisfies the following formula (1): log(Mb/Ma)>2??(1) in which Ma is a weight average molecular weight of a silicone resin having the minimum weight average molecular weight, contained in a resin coating layer, and Mb is a weight average molecular weight of a silicone resin having the maximum weight average molecular weight, and the following formula (2) is satisfied: 0.5??log(A/B)?2.5??(2) in which A is a volume resistance (?/cm) under electric field of 1,000 V/cm obtained by conducting a stirring test, and B is a volume resistance (?/cm) under electric field of 1,000 V/cm before the stirring test.

Abstract: A developer of the present invention includes a toner and a carrier. The toner contains a charge control agent, and the carrier has on its surface a coating layer to which a charge control agent and electrically conductive particles are added. All of constituent elements of one of the charge control agent of the toner and the charge control agent of the carrier are contained in constituent elements of the other one of the charge control agents. With the configuration, the developer of the present invention is capable of stably maintaining a toner charge amount and outputting high-quality images for long periods.

Abstract: Regarding a magnetic carrier of the present invention, a surface of a magnetic core material is coated with a coating layer containing electrically conductive particles and a charge control agent composed of same components as components of a charge control agent contained in a electrophotographic toner. Further, the magnetic carrier exhibits an electric resistance value of 8.22×107 ?cm to 1.12×1010 ?cm in an electric field of 4×103 V/cm. This allows the magnetic carrier to stay capable of charging the electrophotographic toner even over a long period of time.

Abstract: The resin coated carrier is used with a toner in which an external additive having an average primary particle size of 50 nm or more is added to a toner particle, and has a carrier core and a resin coating layer on the surface of the carrier core. In the resin coated carrier, the following expression (1) is satisfied: 0.5??log {(A/C)/(B/C)}?2.5 ??(1) wherein A represents a volume resistance value (Q/cm) of the resin coated carrier in an electric field of 1000 V/cm that is obtained by conducting a stirring test, B represents a volume resistance value (?/cm) of the resin coated carrier in an electric field of 1000 V/cm before the stirring test, and C represents a volume resistance value (?/cm) of the carrier core in an electric field of 1000 V/cm.

Abstract: A carrier of the present invention is used in a developer including a toner which includes at least a binder resin and an organic colorant, and the carrier has a core and a coating formed on the surface of the core, the coating including (i) a charge control agent for controlling a charge whose polarity is the same as a polarity of a charge controlled by a charge control agent included in the toner, and (ii) a conductive particles. The use of the carrier of the present invention enables: prevention of decrease in the charging amount of the toner which includes at least a binder resin and an organic colorant; and formation of a stable, high-resolution, high-quality image which has very few image defects such as a photographic fog.

Abstract: A method for designing a mask pattern realizes shortening the ever-growing time for the OPC treatment, decreases the fabrication TAT of a semiconductor device and cuts cost. A method for fabricating a semiconductor device uses the mask pattern designed. This invention performs the OPC treatment in advance on a cell library constituting the basic configuration of a semiconductor circuit pattern and prepares a semiconductor chip using the cell library that has undergone the OPC treatment.

Abstract: A mask pattern designing method capable of achieving the reduction in the increasing OPC processing time, shortening the manufacture TAT of a semiconductor device, and achieving the cost reduction is provided. An OPC (optical proximity correction) process at the time when a cell is singularly arranged is performed to a cell library pattern which forms a basic structure of a semiconductor circuit pattern in advance, and a semiconductor chip is produced using the cell library pattern to which the OPC process has been performed. At this time, since the cell library pattern which has been OPC-processed in advance is influenced by the cell library patterns around it, the correction process thereof is performed to the end portions of the patterns near the cell boundary. As particularly effective OPC correction means, the genetic algorithm is used.

Abstract: In the formation of a halftone type phase shift mask, a reactive gas introduction inlet and an inert gas introduction inlet are provided so as to introduce the respective gases separately and by using a reactive low throw sputtering method a molybdenum silicide based phase shifter film is formed. Thereby, it becomes possible to provide a halftone type phase shift mask, which is applicable to an ArF laser or to a KrF laser, by using molybdenum silicide based materials.

Abstract: In the formation of a halftone type phase shift mask, a reactive gas introduction inlet and an inert gas introduction inlet are provided so as to introduce the respective gases separately and by using a reactive low throw sputtering method a molybdenum silicide based phase shifter film is formed. Thereby, it becomes possible to provide a halftone type phase shift mask, which is applicable to an ArF laser or to a KrF laser, by using molybdenum silicide based materials.

Abstract: In the formation of a halftone type phase shift mask, a reactive gas introduction inlet and an inert gas introduction inlet are provided so as to introduce the respective gases separately and by using a reactive low throw sputtering method a molybdenum silicide based phase shifter film is formed. Thereby, it becomes possible to provide a halftone type phase shift mask, which is applicable to an ArF laser or to a KrF laser, by using molybdenum silicide based materials.

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 system for treating a treatable material containing a noxious component, which comprises a mixer for mixing a treatment agent containing alkali material with the treatable material to form a mixture, at least one first heat treating furnace for producing a low oxygen concentration atmosphere, a first heating device located outside the first furnace to heat it at a first temperature at which the treatable material is decomposed to generate a substance containing the noxious component, at least one separate second heat treating furnace, and a second heating device located outside the second furnace for heating the treatable material residue at a second temperature at which carbonization of the treatable material residue takes place.

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 uniform thin phase-shifting photomask blank can be formed by depositing a thin film on a substrate by a reactive sputtering technique while passing, at least four times, the substrate over a sputtering target. In the formation of the blank, NO gas is used as the reactive gas, a target composed of a mixture of molybdenum and silicon is used as the sputtering target and a transparent substrate is used as the thin film-forming substrate to form, on the transparent substrate, a light-transmitting film capable of transmitting light rays having an intensity, which cannot substantially contribute to the exposure. In addition, the film is formed, on the substrate, through an opening having a sufficiently enlarged length along the substrate-conveying direction so that even regions whose deposition rate of the target component is not more than 90% of the maximum level thereof also contribute to the film-formation.

Abstract: A phase-shift photo mask blank comprises a half tone phase-shift film, wherein the half tone phase-shift film consists of at least two layers and in the case of two layers, the refractive index of the upper layer of the film is smaller than that of the lower layer thereof; in the case of three layers, the refractive index of the intermediate layer is smaller than those observed for the upper and lower layers or the refractive index of the upper layer is smaller than that of an intermediate layer; in the case of at least 4 layers, the refractive index of the upper most layer is smaller than that of the layer immediately below the upper most layer. The photo mask blank permits the production of a phase-shift photo mask having a high transmittance at an exposure wavelength and a low reflectance as well as a low transmittance at a defect-inspection wavelength. The photo mask in turn permits the fabrication of a semiconductor device having a fine pattern.

Abstract: A process for treating a waste or treatable material containing noxious component(s), comprising the following steps: (1) carrying out a first step for the treatable material, the first step including (a) mixing a treatment agent with the treatable material to form a mixture, the treatment agent containing alkali metal compound, and (b) heating the mixture in a first furnace at a first temperature in a low oxygen atmosphere to thermally decompose the treatable material to generate a substance containing the noxious component, the substance contacting and reacting with the treatment agent to form a harmless salt; and (2) carrying out a second step for the treatable material, the second step including heating the treatable material in a second furnace separate from the first furnace, at a second temperature higher than the first temperature so as to reduce volume of the treatable material.

Abstract: A process for treating a waste or treatable material containing noxious component(s), comprising the following steps: (1) carrying out a first step for the treatable material, the first step including (a) mixing a treatment agent with the treatable material to form a mixture, the treatment agent containing alkali metal compound, and (b) heating the mixture in a first furnace at a first temperature in a low oxygen atmosphere to thermally decompose the treatable material to generate a substance containing the noxious component, the substance contacting and reacting with the treatment agent to form a harmless salt; and (2) carrying out a second step for the treatable material, the second step including heating the treatable material in a second furnace separate from the first furnace, at a second temperature higher than the first temperature so as to reduce volume of the treatable material.