Abstract: A transparent touch panel substrate comprising a transparent substrate and deposited thereon a transparent conductive metal oxide film which contains zinc, indium, and tin as metallic elements and is soluble in acids. The transparent conductive metal oxide film preferably contains zinc in an amount of from 40 to 65 atomic % based on all metals and contains indium in an amount of from 0.25 to 1.3 times the amount of tin on an atomic basis. The film preferably has a thickness of from 100 to 160 nm. Unlike the conventional substrate for resistive film type transparent touch panels which comprises a glass plate coated with a transparent conductive ITO film, the touch panel substrate of the invention combines three properties: high light transmittance; ease of processing in forming a transparent electrode by acid etching; and the transparent conductive film has a moderate sheet resistance of from 500 to 5,000 &OHgr;.

Abstract: A silicon target material is sputtered in a vacuum chamber having a controlled vacuum atmosphere in a reactive sputtering gas containing oxygen and nitrogen while varying the composition of the sputtering gas during the sputtering to thereby form a coating having a refractive index gradient due to a composition gradient in the thickness direction thereof on the substrate. The coating reduces the surface reflectance of glass to one-twentieth in a wavelength region of from 450 to 650 nm.

Abstract: A substrate is set on the periphery of a cylindrical substrate holder rotatable on its axis, and two or more sputtering cathodes having the respective targets attached thereto are set with the surfaces of their targets being parallel to the periphery of the cylindrical substrate holder and the sputtering cathodes being apart from each other. The targets are sputtered while revolving the substrate in front of the targets at least twice to form a coating comprising the materials of the target on the substrate. The targets are of materials different in refractive index, and the voltage applied to each cathode during sputtering is varied to make a substantially continuous change in composition of the coating in the thickness direction.

Abstract: A large number of sub-grooves inclining in the same direction as a tire rotating direction of a tire circumferential direction towards the outside of a car and extending in a tire width-wise direction are disposed on a tread surface of a tire the tire rotating direction of which is designated in one direction, and at least one main groove extending straight in the tire circumferential direction is disposed in an inside region of the tread surface inner than a tire center line. Further, semi-main grooves crossing the sub-grooves and inclining in an opposite direction to that of the sub-grooves are disposed at a predetermined pitch in the tire circumferential direction in an outside region of the tread surface outer than the tire center line. In this way, a pneumatic radial tire of the present invention has a block type tread pattern having asymmetric directionality.