Abstract: The present invention provides a semiconductor device fabrication method comprising the steps of: forming a metal film on a semiconductor substrate; forming a hard mask on the metal film; placing the resultant substrate in a processing chamber; reducing a pressure in the processing chamber to a predetermined degree; and feeding an etching gas into the processing chamber and generating plasma of the etching gas in the processing chamber so that the metal film is patterned with the generated plasma, wherein the etching gas comprises an unsaturated hydrocarbon gas.

Abstract: An ashing method comprises the steps of: holding a substrate having a resist mask formed through an insulating film in a chamber of an ashing apparatus; and applying an RF electric power to activate an oxygen-containing gas introduced in the chamber in order to perform ashing of the resist mask, while an RF electric power is applied to the substrate.

Abstract: A data conversion apparatus is able to convert data created by every information processing software program into data of a predetermined common format style without modifying each information processing software program. When an operator enters a data output command, original data created by the information processing software program is transferred through an operating system (OS) to a printer driver. The printer driver converts the original data into bit map data, and then a conversion driver added to the printer driver converts the bit map data into TIFF data. The TIFF data is memorized in a memory together with corresponding original data. If TIFF data is displayed on a screen of a personal computer by using viewer software, data created by every information processing software program can be viewed with ease.