Abstract: A pulse voltage is applied on a process gas to generate discharge plasma. The pulse voltage has a duty ratio controlled in a range of 0.001 percent or more and 8.0 percent or less. Preferably, the discharge plasma has an electron density of 1×1010 cm?3 or larger and an electron temperature of 1.5 eV or lower at a supplied power of 1.0 W/cm2 or more per a unit area of a discharge electrode.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for producing amino acid derivatives such as optically active ?-amino acid in short steps with good yield and high optical purity, which comprises reacting a keto acid of the formula (1): wherein R1 is hydrogen, an optionally substituted hydrocarbon, etc.; R2 is a spacer; and R3 is an optionally substituted alkoxy, etc., or a salt thereof, with ammonia or an amine or a salt thereof in the presence of a chiral catalyst and in the presence or absence of an acid and/or a fluorine-containing alcohol, to give an amino acid derivative of the formula (2): wherein Q is a group formed by removing one hydrogen atom from ammonia or an amine; X? is an acid and/or a fluorine-containing alcohol; and b is 0 or 1.

Abstract: A DLC film mass-producing apparatus 10 includes a chamber 12 connected to ground. In the chamber 12, a plurality of plate-shaped substrates 60 are disposed in parallel at regular intervals, without disposing a counter electrode that faces each of the plate-shaped substrates 60. Sputtering cleaning is then conducted by plasma discharge and an underlying contact layer is formed on each of the plate-shaped substrates 60. Subsequently, a DLC film is produced on each of the plate-shaped substrates 60 by injecting a carbon source gas into the chamber 12 such that the internal pressure of the chamber 12 reaches 0.1 to 10 Pa and applying a negative DC pulse voltage having a pulse half width of 0.1 to 3 ?sec to each of the plate-shaped substrates 60 to generate plasma.

Abstract: An amorphous carbon film forming apparatus includes a supporting electrode that is connected to ground and supports a substrate, a counter electrode that is disposed so as to face the supporting electrode and has a mixed-gas injection orifice, a chamber containing the supporting electrode and the counter electrode, and a DC pulse generator having a pulse source that applies a DC pulse voltage between the supporting electrode and the counter electrode. An amorphous carbon film is formed by supplying a mixed gas between the supporting electrode and the counter electrode such that the percentage of the acetylene gas relative to the carrier gas is 0.05% by volume or more and 10% by volume or less, and by generating plasma while a DC pulse voltage having a pulse width of 0.1 ?sec or more and 5.0 ?sec or less is applied to the counter electrode.

Abstract: A silicon-based thin film depositing apparatus, including a plurality of transparent electrodes disposed to face corresponding counter electrodes with a space therebetween. Subsequently, while injecting a raw material gas from raw material gas injection orifices toward the supporting electrodes and also injecting a barrier gas from barrier gas injection orifices in the same direction as the direction in which the raw material gas is injected, the gases are discharged from a gas outlet, and thereby, the pressure in a chamber is controlled to a pressure of more than 1 kPa. Then, a DC pulse voltage is applied to each counter electrode to deposit a silicon-based thin film. A DC pulse voltage is applied to perform discharge. Therefore, even in a state where the distance between the electrodes is increased, plasma can be generated efficiently, and the in-plane distribution of film thickness can be improved.

Abstract: A silicon-based thin film mass-producing apparatus, including transparent electrodes placed to face in parallel to corresponding counter electrodes with a space therebetween, and silicon-based thin films are deposited on the transparent electrodes by feeding a raw material gas for depositing the silicon-based thin films into the chamber and by applying a DC pulse voltage to the counter electrodes to generate plasma. Unlike methods in which a radio frequency voltage is intermittently applied to perform discharge, a high plasma density distribution does not occur, and in-plane film thickness distribution does not occur. Furthermore, since the DC pulse voltage rises sharply, the ON period can be shortened. As a result, generation of a sheath ceases in the transient state before reaching the steady state, and the thickness of the sheath is small, which allows the space between the counter and transparent electrodes to decrease.

Abstract: There is provided a mold for extrusion forming of ceramic articles which is excellent in wear resistance and can remarkably decrease forming defects in the vicinity of outer peripheries thereof. The mold for the extrusion forming of the ceramic articles includes a die 1 having a plurality of back holes 9, and slits 8; a back pressing plate 12 and a back spacer 13 to adjust the amount of the kneaded clay to be supplied; and a pressing plate 11 and a spacer 10 to regulate the shape and size of the formed ceramic article. At least a portion of the supply end 22 of the die 1 which overlaps with the back pressing plate 12 is flattened, and a surface roughness (Ra) thereof is in a range of 0.05 ?m to 10 ?m.

Abstract: A pulse power source comprises a first circuit, a second circuit, a transformer for coupling the first circuit and the second circuit, and a switching controller. The second circuit comprises a third semiconductor switch connected in series with a secondary winding of the transformer. The third semiconductor switch is connected in such a direction that a voltage generated in the second circuit is reverse-biased during a period in which the second semiconductor switch is turned on. A gate amplifier for forming a control signal from the switching controller into a pulse and outputting the pulse as a pulse signal is connected between a gate terminal and a cathode terminal of the third semiconductor switch.

Abstract: The electric-field enhancement effect by plasmon resonance is improved by favorably controlling the plasmon resonances in the thickness direction and in the direction orthogonal thereto. The plasmon resonance structure body comprises alternately stacked layers of metal nanoparticle layers and dielectric particle layers. The metal nanoparticle layers have a structure as such that the nano-sized fine particles of Au, Ag, Al, or the like, form metallic domains disposed at proper distance from each other along the direction orthogonal to the stacking direction of the layers. Used as the dielectric particle layer is, for instance, SiO2. The plasmon resonance in the thickness direction of the direction orthogonal thereto of the plasmon resonance structure body can be controlled by changing the particle diameter or the distance among the particles of the metal nanoparticles and the dielectric particles, or by changing the number of the stacked layers.

Abstract: A pulsed power supply includes a DC power source, and a transformer and a switch which are connected in series with each other across the DC power source. The pulsed power supply operates to produce a plurality of high-voltage pulses in a repetition of cycles in each of which an induced energy is stored in the transformer when the switch is turned on and a high-voltage pulse is generated across a secondary winding of the transformer when the switch is turned off. The current flowing through the primary winding of the transformer is controlled to keep its peak value constant. The pulsed power supply further includes a current detector for detecting the current flowing through the primary winding of the transformer, and a third circuit for turning off the switch when the current detected by the current detector reaches the peak value.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to form a thin film reproducibly in a process for forming the thin film on the inner wall surface facing a space formed in a substrate by plasma CVD. A thin film 22 is produced on an inner wall surface 20b of a substrate 20 facing a space 23 formed in the substrate 20. The substrate 20 is contained in a chamber for plasma CVD process. A gas for plasma reaction is then flown into the space 23 and a pulse voltage is applied on the substrate 20 without substantially applying a direct bias voltage on the substrate 20 to form the thin film on the inner wall surface 20b.

Abstract: A carbonaceous material containing 30 atm % or more of carbon atom is reformed. The reforming is carried out by applying a DC pulse voltage to an electrode set within a chamber to generate an electron beam, and by then irradiating a surface of the carbonaceous material with the electron beam. The DC pulse voltage has a duty ratio of pulse duration per pulse of 0.05 to 5.0%, an input energy of 0.01 J/cm2 or less and a pulse half-value width of 10 to 900 nsec.

Abstract: There is disclosed a die 1 for forming a honeycomb structure comprises: a plate-like die substrate 2 having at least two surfaces 8, 9, in which back holes 3 for introducing a green material are formed in one surface 8, and slits 4 communicating with back holes 3 are formed in the other surface 9; an underlayer 5 disposed on the substrate 2 so as to coat at least a part of a portion constituting the back hole 3 and the slit 4; an intermediate layer 6 disposed so as to coat at least a part of the underlayer 5 and constituted of tungsten carbide particles whose average particle diameter is 5 ?m or less and containing W3C as a main component; and a surface layer 7 disposed so as to coat at least a part of the intermediate layer 6 and constituted of diamond and/or diamond-like carbon.

Abstract: A direct current pulse voltage is applied on a treatment gas to generate a discharge plasma. The duty ratio of the direct current pulse voltage is controlled within the range of 0.0001% or more and 8.0% or less. The rise time of the direct current pulse voltage is controlled in the range of not lower than 0.1 V/nsec and not higher than 10000 V/nsec. Alternatively, a positive pulse and a negative pulse are applied from a single power source for performing the discharge plasma and the impurity implantation.

Abstract: Methods are provided to form a thin film reproducibly in a process for forming the thin film on the inner wall surface facing a space formed in a substrate by plasma CVD. A thin film is produced on an inner wall surface of a substrate facing a space formed in the substrate. The substrate is contained in a chamber for plasma CVD process. A gas for plasma reaction is then flown into the space and a pulse voltage is applied on the substrate without substantially applying a direct bias voltage on the substrate to form the thin film on the inner wall surface.

Abstract: The present invention uses a curable resin which has: in the molecule thereof, at least two crosslinking functional groups of at least one kind selected from the group consisting of epoxy group, (meth)acryloyl group, alkenylamino group and alkenyloxy group; a glass transition temperature before curing of 50 to 150° C.; a weight-average molecular weight of 10,000 to 1,000,000; and a dielectric constant of not higher than 3.5 after curing. By use of the curable resin of the above constitution, the present invention can provide a curable resin that an insulator having an excellent thermal shock resistance and an excellent dielectric property is obtained.

Abstract: A pulse power source comprises a first circuit, a second circuit, a transformer for coupling the first circuit and the second circuit, and a switching controller. The second circuit comprises a third semiconductor switch connected in series with a secondary winding of the transformer. The third semiconductor switch is connected in such a direction that a voltage generated in the second circuit is reverse-biased during a period in which the second semiconductor switch is turned on. A gate amplifier for forming a control signal from the switching controller into a pulse and outputting the pulse as a pulse signal is connected between a gate terminal and a cathode terminal of the third semiconductor switch.

Abstract: A pulse voltage is applied on a process gas to generate discharge plasma. The pulse voltage has a duty ratio controlled in a range of 0.001 percent or more and 8.0 percent or less. Preferably, the discharge plasma has an electron density of 1×1010 cm?3 or larger and an electron temperature of 1.5 eV or lower at a supplied power of 1.0 W/cm2 or more per a unit area of a discharge electrode.

Abstract: An apparatus imparts concaves/convexes to a sheet-like object by passing the sheet-like object between a pair of rollers facing each other. At least one of the rollers is a roller a surface of which is formed by laminating a single or a plurality of circular plates each provided with concaves/convexes at a peripheral edge thereof. An interval keeping mechanism is provided between the circular plates provided with concaves/convexes at the peripheral edges. At least one of the rollers is formed with a roller surface by laminating a single or a plurality of circular plates each having only convexes of concaves/convexes portions at a peripheral edge thereof. By the roller, convexes can be imparted to one face of front and back surfaces of a sheet-like object.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for producing amino acid derivatives such as optically active ?-amino acid in short steps with good yield and high optical purity, which comprises reacting a keto acid of the formula (1): wherein R1 is hydrogen, an optionally substituted hydrocarbon, etc.; R2 is a spacer; and R3 is an optionally substituted alkoxy, etc., or a salt thereof, with ammonia or an amine or a salt thereof in the presence of a chiral catalyst and in the presence or absence of an acid and/or a fluorine-containing alcohol, to give an amino acid derivative of the formula (2): wherein Q is a group formed by removing one hydrogen atom from ammonia or an amine; X? is an acid and/or a fluorine-containing alcohol; and b is 0 or 1.