Abstract: A sputtering method comprising the steps of: arranging the plurality of targets in a vacuum container equidistantly in a transport direction of the substrate such that distances between the plurality of rectangular targets and the substrate are different; and assuming that lengths of sides, parallel to the transport direction, of adjacent first and second targets are expressed as first and second target width W1 and W2, respectively, and that a gap between the first and second targets is expressed as L, when a relationship among the first target width W1, the second target width W2, and the gap L satisfies L?3(W1+W2), and assuming that a distance from each of the plurality of targets to the substrate is expressed as T, performing sputtering such that a relationship between a longest distance Tmax and the gap L at this time satisfies 0.4?Tmax/L?0.8.

Abstract: There is disclosed an exhaust processing process of a processing apparatus for processing a substrate or a film, which comprises after the processing of the substrate or the film, introducing a non-reacted gas and/or a by-product into a trap means comprising a filament comprised of a high-melting metal material comprising as a main component at least one of tungsten, molybdenum and rhenium; and processing the non-reacted gas and/or the by-product inside the trap means. This makes it possible to prevent lowering in exhaust conductance, to lengthen the maintenance cycle of the processing apparatus, and to provide a high-quality product (processed substrate or film).

Abstract: There is disclosed an exhaust processing process of a processing apparatus for processing a substrate or a film, which comprises after the processing of the substrate or the film, introducing a non-reacted gas and/or a by-product into a trap means comprising a filament comprised of a high-melting metal material comprising as a main component at least one of tungsten, molybdenum and rhenium; and processing the non-reacted gas and/or the by-product inside the trap means. This makes it possible to prevent lowering in exhaust conductance, to lengthen the maintenance cycle of the processing apparatus, and to provide a high-quality product (processed substrate or film).

Abstract: There is disclosed an exhaust processing process of a processing apparatus for processing a substrate or a film, which comprises after the processing of the substrate or the film, introducing a non-reacted gas and/or a by-product into a trap means comprising a filament comprised of a high-melting metal material comprising as a main component at least one of tungsten, molybdenum and rhenium; and processing the non-reacted gas and/or the by-product inside the trap means. This makes it possible to prevent lowering in exhaust conductance, to lengthen the maintenance cycle of the processing apparatus, and to provide a high-quality product (processed substrate or film).

Abstract: There is disclosed an exhaust processing process of a processing apparatus for processing a substrate or a film, which comprises after the processing of the substrate or the film, introducing a non-reacted gas and/or a by-product into a trap means comprising a filament comprised of a high-melting metal material comprising as a main component at least one of tungsten, molybdenum and rhenium; and processing the non-reacted gas and/or the by-product inside the trap means. This makes it possible to prevent lowering in exhaust conductance, to lengthen the maintenance cycle of the processing apparatus, and to provide a high-quality product (processed substrate or film).

Abstract: There is disclosed an exhaust processing process of a processing apparatus for processing a substrate or a film, which comprises after the processing of the substrate or the film, introducing a non-reacted gas and/or a by-product into a trap means comprising a filament comprised of a high-melting metal material comprising as a main component at least one of tungsten, molybdenum and rhenium; and processing the non-reacted gas and/or the by-product inside the trap means. This makes it possible to prevent lowering in exhaust conductance, to lengthen the maintenance cycle of the processing apparatus, and to provide a high-quality product (processed substrate or film).

Abstract: A chemical-reaction inducing means is provided in an exhaust line connecting a processing space for subjecting a substrate or a film to plasma processing to an exhaust means, and at least either an unreacted gas or byproduct exhausted from the processing space are caused to chemically react without allowing plasma in the processing space to reach the chemical-reaction inducing means, thereby improving the processing ability of the chemical-reaction inducing means to process the unreacted gas or byproduct.

Abstract: A chemical-reaction inducing means is provided in an exhaust line connecting a processing space for subjecting a substrate or a film to plasma processing to an exhaust means, and at least either an unreacted gas or byproduct exhausted from the processing space are caused to chemically react without allowing plasma in the processing space to reach the chemical-reaction inducing means, thereby improving the processing ability of the chemical-reaction inducing means to process the unreacted gas or byproduct.

Abstract: An apparatus for efficiently and continuously mass-producing a photovoltaic element by a plasma CVD method having an excellent current-voltage characteristic and excellent photoelectric conversion efficiency. The apparatus has a first chamber where raw material gas flows from top to bottom. A second chamber is connected to the first chamber by a separating path and causes the raw material gas to flow from bottom to top along the movement direction of the long substrate.

Abstract: To provide an apparatus for forming a deposited film, which is a parallel plate electrode type CVD apparatus, with a discharge vessel receiving a material gas flowing therein and discharging air therefrom, decomposing the material gas by the aid of a plasma generated therein, and depositing the film on the substrate, in which the exhaust port of the material gas exhaust means has an opening wider in the lateral direction than the parallel plate electrode. This structure diminishes the stagnant region of the material gas during the deposited film forming process and controls formation of by-products, to deposit the film uniform in quality and thickness.

Abstract: A vacuum-processing apparatus comprising a vacuum vessel, a processing chamber arranged in the vacuum vessel and a heater for heating a circumferential wall of the processing chamber, wherein a substrate is arranged in the processing chamber and the substrate is vacuum-processed in the processing chamber, characterized in that the vacuum-processing apparatus has a cooling plate located outside the processing chamber and arranged at a position to oppose the circumferential wall of the processing chamber for cooling the circumferential wall of the processing chamber, and a mechanism for moving the cooling plate so as to change a distance between the cooling plate and the circumferential wall of the processing chamber. A vacuum-processing method for performing a surface treatment for a substrate using the vacuum-processing apparatus.

Abstract: A substrate-processing method includes at least (a) a step of delivering a web substrate and an interleaf from a substrate delivery bobbin provided in a substrate delivery chamber while the web substrate is transported into a substrate-processing chamber and the interleaf delivered is wound on an interleaf takeup bobbin, and (b) a step of subjecting the web substrate transported into the substrate-processing chamber to desired processing in the substrate-processing chamber. The web substrate processed in the substrate-processing chamber is transported outside the substrate-processing chamber, and transport abnormality of the interleaf in the substrate delivery chamber is detected by a transport abnormality-detecting mechanism.

Abstract: There is disclosed an exhaust processing process of a processing apparatus for processing a substrate or a film, which comprises after the processing of the substrate or the film, introducing a non-reacted gas and/or a by-product into a trap means comprising a filament comprised of a high-melting metal material comprising as a main component at least one of tungsten, molybdenum and rhenium; and processing the non-reacted gas and/or the by-product inside the trap means. This makes it possible to prevent lowering in exhaust conductance to lengthen the maintenance cycle of the processing apparatus, and to provide a high-quality product (processed substrate or film).

Abstract: For efficiently forming a semiconductor element with excellent adhesion and environment resistance, a semiconductor element forming method is configured to have a step of forming a plurality of pin junctions of a silicon-based material on a substrate by a high-frequency plasma CVD process under a pressure of not more than atmospheric pressure, and the method further has a step of forming a p-layer, an i-layer, and a portion of an n-layer of a first pin junction of the pin junctions or forming an n-layer, an i-layer, and a portion of a p-layer of a first pin junction of the pin junctions, and thereafter exposing the p-layer or the n-layer exposed in the surface, to an oxygen-containing atmosphere; a step of forming on the p-layer or the n-layer as exposed to the oxygen-containing atmosphere a layer of the same conductivity type as that of the p-layer or the n-layer; and a step of forming an n-layer or a p-layer of a second pin junction adjacent to the first pin junction to form a pn interface.

Abstract: A substrate-processing apparatus comprising at least a substrate delivery chamber, a substrate-processing chamber and a substrate takeup chamber, wherein in said substrate delivery chamber, a web substrate and an interleaf are delivered from a delivery bobbin comprising said web substrate and said interleaf alternately wound while said web substrate delivered is transported into said substrate-processing chamber to process said web substrate therein and said interleaf delivered is wound on an interleaf takeup bobbin; in said substrate takeup chamber, said web substrate transported from said substrate-processing chamber and an interleaf delivered from an interleaf delivery bobbin are alternately wound in a roll form on a substrate takeup bobbin, characterized in that said substrate-processing apparatus is provided with a mechanism for detecting transport abnormality of the interleaf at least either in the substrate delivery chamber or in the substrate takeup chamber in order to previously prevent occurrence of

Abstract: There is disclosed an exhaust processing process of a processing apparatus for processing a substrate or a film, which comprises after the processing of the substrate or the film, introducing a non-reacted gas and/or a by-product into a trap means comprising a filament comprised of a high-melting metal material comprising as a main component at least one of tungsten, molybdenum and rhenium; and processing the non-reacted gas and/or the by-product inside the trap means. This makes it possible to prevent lowering in exhaust conductance, to lengthen the maintenance cycle of the processing apparatus, and to provide a high-quality product (processed substrate or film).

Abstract: A substrate-processing apparatus includes a substrate delivery chamber, a substrate-processing chamber and a substrate takeup chamber, wherein in the substrate delivery chamber, a web substrate and an interleaf are delivered from a delivery bobbin including the web substrate and the interleaf alternately wound while the web substrate delivered is transported into the substrate-processing chamber to process the web substrate therein and the interleaf delivered is wound on an interleaf takeup bobbin. In the substrate takeup chamber, the web substrate transported from the substrate-processing chamber and an interleaf delivered from an interleaf delivery bobbin are alternately wound in a roll form on a substrate takeup bobbin. The substrate-processing apparatus is provided with a mechanism for detecting transport abnormality of the interleaf either in the substrate delivery chamber or in the substrate takeup chamber.

Abstract: A vacuum-processing apparatus comprising a vacuum vessel, a processing chamber arranged in said vacuum vessel and a heater for heating a circumferential wall of said processing chamber, wherein a substrate is arranged in said processing chamber and said substrate is vacuum-processed in said processing chamber, characterized in that said vacuum-processing apparatus has a cooling plate arranged at a position to oppose said circumferential wall of said processing chamber for cooling said circumferential wall of said processing chamber, and a mechanism for moving said cooling plate so as to change a distance between said cooling plate and said circumferential wall of said processing chamber.

Abstract: The photovoltaic element of the present invention is a photovoltaic element comprised of a semiconductor-junctioned element, characterized in that the element includes a first electrically conductive type semiconductor layer, a non-crystalline i type semiconductor layer, a microcrystalline i type semiconductor layer and a microcrystalline second electrically conductive type semiconductor layer and is pin-junctioned, and a method of and an apparatus for manufacturing the same are characterized by efficiently and continuously mass-producing the photovoltaic element having an excellent current-voltage characteristic and excellent photoelectric conversion efficiency.

Abstract: A substrate-processing method comprising transporting a substrate to pass through a plurality of processing spaces communicated with each other while processing said substrate in each processing space, characterized in that based on an inner pressure of (a) one of said plurality of processing spaces, said inner pressure of said processing space (a) and an inner pressure of (b) at least one of the processing spaces arranged before or after said processing space (a) are controlled.