Abstract: A measurement apparatus used for a sorting apparatus for sorting objects includes a scanning unit configured to perform scanning with illumination light which illuminates the object, a control unit configured to control the scanning unit, and a sensor configured to measure reflection light from the illuminated object, wherein the control unit controls the scanning unit to track the object with the illumination light by changing a position of the illumination light in a moving direction of the object and a direction perpendicular to the moving direction.

Abstract: An image acquisition apparatus includes a slide stage to hold a prepared slide, an imaging optical system configured to form an image of the prepared slide, an imaging unit configured to perform imaging of the prepared slide, a stage measurement unit configured to obtain orientation information of the slide stage, and a calculation unit configured to calculate an order of imaging the prepared slide. An orientation of the slide stage is changeable based on the orientation information, and the calculation unit obtains, based on a surface shape of the prepared slide and optical characteristics of the imaging optical system, a relation between an orientation of the slide stage and an area of the prepared slide which can be imaged with respect to the orientation, and calculates an order of imaging the prepared slide in each orientation of the slide stage based on the obtained relation.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus configured to perform a process to reduce a color blur in a color motion picture image utilizing a first frame image and a second frame image that has been obtained after the first frame image includes a memory configured to store a first color blur reduction amount used for the process to the first frame image, an estimator configured to calculate a color blur estimation amount in the second frame image through a spatial operation to the second frame image, and a determination part configured to calculate a second color blur reduction amount used for the process to the second frame image so that a difference between the first color blur reduction amount and the color blur estimation amount can fall within a predetermined range.

Abstract: Disclosed is a plasma processing apparatus and a plasma processing method, by which ions of plasma can be injected uniformly over the whole surface of a substrate to be processed, in a short time. Specifically, when the substrate is processed in a reaction container, the gas pressure inside the reaction container is increased. Alternatively, the distance between a plasma processing portion and the substrate is enlarged, or the substrate is temporally moved outwardly of the reaction container. As a further alternative, a shutter is disposed between the plasma producing zone and the substrate. With this procedure, incidence of ions of the plasma upon the substrate can be substantially intercepted for a predetermined time period from the start of plasma production.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus configured to perform a process to reduce a color blur in a color motion picture image utilizing a first frame image and a second frame image that has been obtained after the first frame image includes a memory configured to store a first color blur reduction amount used for the process to the first frame image, an estimator configured to calculate a color blur estimation amount in the second frame image through a spatial operation to the second frame image, and a determination part configured to calculate a second color blur reduction amount used for the process to the second frame image so that a difference between the first color blur reduction amount and the color blur estimation amount can fall within a predetermined range.

Abstract: Disclosed is a plasma processing apparatus and a plasma processing method, by which ions of plasma can be injected uniformly over the whole surface of a substrate to be processed, in a short time. Specifically, when the substrate is processed in a reaction container, the gas pressure inside the reaction container is increased. Alternatively, the distance between a plasma processing portion and the substrate is enlarged, or the substrate is temporally moved outwardly of the reaction container. As a further alternative, a shutter is disposed between the plasma producing zone and the substrate. With this procedure, incidence of ions of the plasma upon the substrate can be substantially intercepted for a predetermined time period from the start of plasma production.

Abstract: Disclosed is a plasma processing apparatus having a plasma producing portion and a porous plate provided between the plasma producing portion and an object to be processed, wherein the porous plate has a plurality of holes which are made non-uniform with respect to at least one of shape, size and disposition. Specifically, the shape, the size or the disposition of the holes is determined on the basis of an active species distribution at the plasma producing portion and of diffusion calculation, so that plasma active species adjacent the object to be processed has desired concentration and distribution. This assures uniform plasma distribution adjacent the object while a decrease of plasma density can be well suppressed.

Abstract: A method for modifying a surface of a substrate to be processed, by utilizing plasma includes the steps of adjusting a temperature of the substrate from 200° C. to 400° C., introducing gas including nitrogen atoms or mixture gas including inert gas and the gas including nitrogen atoms into a plasma process chamber, adjusting pressure in the plasma process chamber above 13.3 Pa, generating plasma in the plasma process chamber, and injecting ions equal to or smaller than 10 eV in the plasma into the substrate to be processed.

Abstract: A method for modifying a surface of a substrate to be processed, by utilizing plasma includes the steps of adjusting a temperature of the substrate from 200° C. to 400° C., introducing gas including nitrogen atoms or mixture gas including inert gas and the gas including nitrogen atoms into a plasma process chamber, adjusting pressure in the plasma process chamber above 13.3 Pa, generating plasma in the plasma process chamber, and injecting ions equal to or smaller than 10 eV in the plasma into the substrate to be processed.

Abstract: A method for modifying a surface of a substrate to be processed, by utilizing microwave surface-wave plasma includes the steps of maintaining a temperature of the substrate to a temperature which substantially prevents a material injected by a plasma process into the substrate from diffusing in the substrate, and provides an anneal effect, introducing process gas including the material into a plasma process chamber, generating plasma in the plasma process chamber, and changing at least once an electron temperature of the plasma.

Abstract: To provide a production method of a structure with which a degradation of a processing speed is suppressed and plasma processing is performed with using a reliable plasma processing apparatus and which is excellent in repeatability, a plasma processing apparatus, which includes a container whose inside can be exhausted and a gas supply port for supplying a process gas to the container and subjects to plasma processing an object to be processed placed in the container, is characterized in containing a light shielding film that disturbs the incidence of light, which may increase dielectric loss of a permeable window, to this dielectric window on the internal surface of the permeable window permeating high frequency energy for generating the plasma of the above-described gas, and is provided in the above-described container.

Abstract: The present invention provides a precise polishing apparatus and method in which a polished body is polished by rotating a polishing pad having a diameter greater than that of the polished body while urging the polishing pad against the polished body in conditions that a center of the polished body is deviated from a rotation axis of the polishing pad and that the polishing pad is contacted with the entire polished surface of the polished body. The polished body may be a semi-conductor wafer.

Abstract: The present invention provides a precise polishing apparatus and method in which a polished body is polished by rotating a polishing pad having a diameter greater than that of the polished body while urging the polishing pad against the polished body in conditions that a center of the polished body is deviated from a rotation axis of the polishing pad and that the polishing pad is contacted with the entire polished surface of the polished body. The polished body may be a semi-conductor wafer.

Abstract: To dry-etch a thin metal film in a trench such as an line trench in a semiconductor device with good reproducibility independently of the longitudinal length of the trench and without requiring etching end detection, a metal film is deposited and buried in a through hole or line trench of the semiconductor device and then anisotropically dry-etched by irradiating the object to be processed with charged particles. At this time, the object to be processed is kept at a predetermined electric potential, and a magnetic field is almost vertically applied to the object to be processed such that charged particles are incident on the object to be processed at an incident angle &thgr; while spirally moving, thereby anisotropically dry-etching the metal film outside the trench.

Abstract: The present invention provides a precise polishing apparatus and method in which a polished body is polished by rotating a polishing pad having a diameter greater than that of the polished body while urging the polishing pad against the polished body in conditions that a center of the polished body is deviated from a rotation axis of the polishing pad and that the polishing pad is contacted with the entire polished surface of the polished body. The polished body may be a semi-conductor wafer.

Abstract: To provide a production method of a structure with which a degradation of a processing speed is suppressed and plasma processing is performed with using a reliable plasma processing apparatus and which is excellent in repeatability, a plasma processing apparatus, which includes a container whose inside can be exhausted and a gas supply port for supplying a process gas to the container and subjects to plasma processing an object to be processed placed in the container, is characterized in containing a light shielding film that disturbs the incidence of light, which may increase dielectric loss of a permeable window, to this dielectric window on the internal surface of the permeable window permeating high frequency energy for generating the plasma of the above-described gas, and is provided in the above-described container.

Abstract: A chemical mechanical polishing apparatus and method can polish a surface of an object very precisely at a high speed irrespective of the presence of a local defect on the surface to be polished. By using a multiplex ring-shaped polishing pad, an effective surface to be polished is increased, and very precise and uniform polishing can be performed at a high speed. By using a plurality of polishing pads, having different diameters smaller than the diameter of the surface to be polished, provided with an interval on the same revolution radius on a revolution table, or by using a plurality of polishing pads, having the same diameter smaller than the diameter of the surface to be polished, provided at positions having different revolution radii on a revolution table, very precise and uniform polishing can be performed.

Abstract: A polishing apparatus includes a holder for holding a polished body with a polished surface thereof facing upwardly, and a polishing head for holding a polishing pad having a polishing surface having an area smaller than an area of the polished surface while contacting the polishing pad with the polished surface and for rotating the polishing pad around its rotation axis. The polishing head is provided with a driver for revolving the polishing pad around a revolution axis, and the revolution axis and the rotation axis are positioned so that a distance between the revolution axis and the rotation axis becomes smaller than a radius of the polishing pad.

Abstract: The present invention provides a polishing apparatus comprising a holding means for holding a polished body with a polished surface thereof facing upwardly, and a polishing head for holding a polishing pad having a polishing surface having an area smaller than an area of the polished surface while contacting the polishing pad with the polished surface and for rotating the polishing pad around its rotation axis, and wherein the polishing head is provided with a drive means for revolving the polishing pad around a revolution axis, and the revolution axis and the rotation axis are positioned so that a distance between the revolution axis and the rotation axis becomes smaller than a radius of the polishing pad.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method are provided for uniformly conditioning a polishing pad over the entire surface. The conditioning is achieved by contacting the entire polishing surface of the polishing pad with a polishing pad conditioner having a surface area larger than that of the polishing pad.