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 touch panel having high durability is provided. Either one or both of a display device and a flexible panel have island-shaped protective bodies formed on surfaces of electrode layers (upper electrode layer, lower electrode layer), and a transparent conductive film is exposed between the protective bodies. Since the protective bodies protrude highly from the surface of the transparent conductive film, when the flexible panel is pressed and the upper electrode and the lower electrode layer are brought into contact, a load to be applied to the transparent conductive film is reduced by the protective bodies, so that the transparent conductive film is not broken.

Abstract: A touch panel having high durability is provided. Either one or both of a display device and a flexible panel have island-shaped protective bodies formed on surfaces of electrode layers (upper electrode layer, lower electrode layer), and a transparent conductive film is exposed between the protective bodies. Since the protective bodies protrude highly from the surface of the transparent conductive film, when the flexible panel is pressed and the upper electrode and the lower electrode layer are brought into contact, a load to be applied to the transparent conductive film is reduced by the protective bodies, so that the transparent conductive film is not broken.

Abstract: Provided is a metallic wiring film which is not peeled away even when exposed to a hydrogen plasma. A metallic wiring film is constituted by an adhesion layer containing copper, Ca, and oxygen and a low-resistance metal layer (a layer of a copper alloy or pure copper) having a lower resistance than the adhesion layer. When the adhesion layer is composed of a copper alloy, which contains Ca and oxygen, and a source electrode film and a drain electrode film adhering to an ohmic contact layer are constituted by the adhesion layer, even if the adhesion layer is exposed to the hydrogen plasma, a Cu-containing oxide formed at an interface between the adhesion layer and the ohmic contact layer is not reduced, so that no peeling occurs between the adhesion layer and a silicon layer.

Abstract: A metallic wiring film, which is not exfoliated even when exposed to a plasma of hydrogen, is provided. A metallic wiring film 20a is constituted by an adhesion layer 51 in which an additive metal is added to copper and a low-resistance metallic layer 52, which is made of pure copper, is disposed on the adhesion layer 51. When the additive metal made of at least one of Ti, Zr and Cr, and oxygen are included in a copper alloy which is in the adhesion layer 51 and a source electrode and a drain electrode are formed from it, copper does not precipitate at an interface between the adhesion layer 51 and the silicon layer even when being exposed to the hydrogen plasma, which prevents exfoliation from occurring between the adhesion layer 51 and the silicon layer. If the amount of additive metal increases, the adhesion layer 51 cannot be etched with an etching liquid for etching the low-resistance metallic layer 52, so that the maximum additional amount to permit the etching to be performed is the upper limit.

Abstract: A metallic wiring film, which is not exfoliated even when exposed to plasma of hydrogen, is provided. A metallic wiring film is constituted by an adhesion layer in which Al is added to copper and a metallic low-resistance layer which is disposed on the adhesion layer and made of pure copper. When a copper alloy including Al and oxygen are included in the adhesion layer and a source electrode and a drain electrode are formed from it, copper does not precipitate at an interface between the adhesion layer and the silicon layer even when being exposed to the hydrogen plasma, which prevents the occurrence of exfoliation between the adhesion layer and the silicon layer. If the amount of Al increases, since widths of the adhesion layer and the metallic low-resistance layer largely differ after etching, the maximum addition amount for permitting the etching to be performed is the upper limit.

Abstract: A touch panel having high durability is provided. Either one or both of a display device and a flexible panel have island-shaped protective bodies formed on surfaces of electrode layers (upper electrode layer, lower electrode layer), and a transparent conductive film is exposed between the protective bodies. Since the protective bodies protrude highly from the surface of the transparent conductive film, when the flexible panel is pressed and the upper electrode and the lower electrode layer are brought into contact, a load to be applied to the transparent conductive film is reduced by the protective bodies, so that the transparent conductive film is not broken.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a solar cell provided with an upper electrode which functions as an electrode for extracting electric power at a light incidence side of the solar cell and includes a ZnO-based transparent conductive film, the method comprising: forming the upper electrode by sputtering a target on which a formation material of the transparent conductive film is provided while applying sputtering voltage of 340V or less and generating a horizontal magnetic field on a target surface.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a solar cell provided with a buffer layer or an intermediate electrode. The buffer layer is disposed between a rear electrode and a photovoltaic cell. The rear electrode is disposed on the opposite side of a light incidence side and functions as an electrode for extracting electric power. The intermediate electrode is disposed between a plurality of photovoltaic cells. The intermediate electrode or the buffer layer comprises a ZnO-based transparent conductive film. The method comprises forming the intermediate electrode or the buffer layer by sputtering a target on which a formation material of the transparent conductive film is provided while applying sputtering voltage to generate a horizontal magnetic field on a surface of the target. The intermediate electrode or the buffer layer is formed through sputtering at a sputtering voltage of 340V or less.

Abstract: A method for forming a transparent conductive film forms the transparent conductive film containing ZnO as a basic element on a substrate by a sputtering which is performed by applying a sputtering voltage to a target made of a material to form the transparent conductive film and generating a horizontal magnetic field over a surface of the target. The sputtering is performed by setting the sputtering voltage to 340 V or less.

Abstract: An electrode is prevented from being peeled from a substrate or a silicon layer. After the surface of a first copper thin film composed mainly of copper is treated by exposing it to an ammonia gas, a film of silicon nitride is formed on the surface of the first copper thin film by generating a plasma of a raw material gas containing a silane gas and an ammonia gas in an atmosphere in which an object to be processed is placed. Since the surface is preliminarily treated with the ammonia gas, the silane gas is prevented from being diffused into the first copper thin film. Therefore, an electrode constituted by the surface-treated first copper thin film is not peeled from the glass substrate or the silicon layer. In addition, its electric resistance value does not rise.

Abstract: A highly durable touch panel is provided. A touch panel according to the present invention includes a deformable flexible panel, and a transparent electrode film containing In2O3 as a primary component and containing Ti is exposed to a surface of a lower electrode film of a display device. Since such a transparent electrode film has a high abrasion resistance as compared to a conventional one (such as, an ITO thin film), the transparent electrode film is neither clouded nor cracked even if the lower electrode film is repeatedly pressed. Therefore, the touch panel according to the present invention is highly durable.

Abstract: A wiring film having excellent adhesion and barrier property and a low resistance value is formed. An oxygen gas is introduced into a vacuum chamber in which an object to be film formed is disposed; a sputtering target is sputtered in a vacuum ambience containing oxygen; and a first metallic film is formed on a surface of the object to be film formed. The first sputtering target includes copper as a major component and at least one kind of additive elements selected from an additive element group consisting of Mg, Al, Si, Be, Ca, Sr, Ba, Ra, Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb and Dy. Thereafter, a second metallic film is formed on a surface of the first metallic film by sputtering the sputtering target in a state in which the introduction of the oxygen gas into a vacuum ambience is stopped, and then a wiring film is formed by etching the first and second metallic films.

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 sputtering apparatus according to the present invention is provided with first to fourth targets. The first and the second targets are disposed so that their surfaces face each other. The third and the fourth targets are also disposed so that their surfaces face each other. When a dielectric film is formed, sputtering is alternately performed on the first and the second targets and on the third and the fourth targets. When sputtering is performed on two of the targets having surfaces that face each other, the remaining two targets function as a ground. As a result, abnormal discharges are inhibited.

Abstract: A sputtering apparatus with high usage efficiency of a target is provided. A sputtering apparatus of the present invention includes first and second ring magnets, first and second magnet members arranged inside a ring of the first and second ring magnets, wherein in the first and second ring magnets and the first and second magnet members, magnetic poles with the same magnetism are faced toward the rear surface of a first and a second targets. Thus, in the rear surface of the first and second targets, the magnetic poles with the same polarity are adjacently arranged, and the absolute value of the strength of horizontal magnetic field components formed in the surfaces of the first and second targets becomes small and the strength distribution becomes narrow, and the strength of vertical magnetic field components becomes uniform; and consequently, a non-erosion portion is not produced in the first and second targets.

Abstract: A sputtering apparatus for ensuring high target utilization efficiency is provided. The sputtering apparatus 1 of the present invention comprises a moving means 28a, 28b so that first and second magnet members 23a, 23b can be moved by the moving means 28a, 28b in planes parallel to the surfaces of first and second targets 21a, 21b. When the first and second magnet members 23a, 23b move, magnetic field lines as well as deeply eroded regions on the surfaces of the first and second targets 21a, 21b also move, whereby large areas on the surfaces of the first and second targets 21a, 21b are sputtered.

Abstract: A transparent electroconductive film having a small resistance value and a high transmittance and causing no damage upon an underlying organic EL film is formed. First and second targets are spaced and arranged in parallel, and a shielding plate is provided between the space and a transporting path for an object to be film-formed. Sputtered particles are allowed to reach the object through a release hole formed at the shielding plate. The sputtering particles obliquely irradiated are shielded by the shielding plate so that the transparent electroconductive film having a low resistivity and high transmittance can be formed.