Abstract: A surface processing method of a sample having a mask layer that does not contain carbon as a major component formed on a substance to be processed, the substance being a metal, semiconductor and insulator deposited on a silicon substrate, includes the steps of installing the sample on a sample board in a vacuum container, generating a plasma that consists of a mixture of halogen gas and adhesive gas inside the vacuum container, applying a radio frequency bias voltage having a frequency ranging from 200 kHz to 20 MHz on the sample board, and controlling a periodic on-off of the radio frequency bias voltage with an on-off control frequency ranging from 100 Hz to 10 kHz.

Abstract: A wafer is exposed to a plasma. Here, the wafer includes a semiconductor or a conductor 1 provided on an insulator 6, an insulator 2 formed thereon and having a region the thickness of which has been made locally thin, and a 2nd conductor 4 provided on the insulator 2, one of the semiconductor or the conductor 1 and the 2nd conductor 4 having a 1st region from the surface of which a substantially total solid angle is formed, the other having a 2nd region a solid angle formed from the surface of which is made smaller than the 1st region. Then, a voltage is applied to the semiconductor or the conductor 1 and the 2nd conductor 4 so as to measure a time elapsing until the insulator 2 undergoes a dielectric breakdown. Moreover, the ion current density is determined from an electric charge required therefor and an area exposed onto the surface of the 2nd conductor 4.

Abstract: According to the present invention, there is provided a sample surface treating apparatus for processing a fine pattern by plasma etching, comprising: a stage provided in a chamber, on which a sample to be subjected to a surface treatment is placed; etching gas supplying means for continuously supplying an etching gas for plasma generation into the chamber; plasma generating means for generating a high-density plasma in the chamber; a bias power supply for applying a bias voltage of 100 kHz or higher to the stage independently of the plasma generation; and pulse modulating means for modulating the bias power supply at a frequency of 100 Hz to 10 kHz, wherein a surface treatment in which the minimum feature size is 1 &mgr;m or smaller is performed to the sample placed on the stand.

Abstract: A communication robot includes a speaker. By generating a sound or voice through the speaker, the human is requested to cause a robot to make a certain action. When the human makes an action to the robot, the movement of the robot head or arm assists for the action.

Abstract: Electrical damage to semiconductor elements in the plasma etching thereof is suppressed. In processing of a fine pattern by plasma etching, the high frequency power supply to be applied to the specimen is turned off before the charge potential at a portion of the pattern reaches the breakdown voltage of the gate oxide film which is interconnected to said fine pattern, and then the high frequency power supply is turned on when the charge potential at the portion of the pattern drops substantially. This on and off control is effected in a repetitive mode of operation.

Abstract: The present invention relates to high-density coal-water mixed fuel and a producing method thereof and aims to reduce an amount of dispersant to be used in the coal-water mixed fuel having the good fluidity with the increased density and obtain the a coal-water mixed fuel from pulverized coals produced by dry milling at low cost. According to this invention, in case of obtaining the high-density coal-water mixed fuel such as a CWM by mixing the pulverized coals ground to provide a predetermined particle size distribution, water and the dispersant, the hydrophilic colloid which causes the protective effect with respect to the pulverized coals is added and mixed preferably before adding the dispersant so that the high-density coal-water mixed fuel which includes the hydrophilic colloid and a reduced amount of a surface active agent used can be provided.

Abstract: A plasma processing method for etching a sample includes generating a plasma in a treatment chamber having a stage on which the sample is placed, wherein the plasma is generated by use of electromagnetic waves, applying an rf bias to the stage with a frequency which enables reduction of ions having an intermediate energy, and on-off modulating the rf bias so that reaction products are deposited on the sample during the off period of the rf bias.

Abstract: A plasma processing method for etching a sample having a gate oxide film includes generating a plasma in a vacuum chamber using electromagnetic waves, applying an rf bias power to the sample, turning off the rf bias power before a charged voltage of the sample reaches a breakdown voltage, turning on the rf bias power after the charged voltage of the sample has substantially dropped, and repeating the turning on and off of the rf bias power to process the sample. The off-time is set at least longer than the on-time.

Abstract: The present invention relates to high-density coal-water mixed fuel and a producing method thereof and aims to reduce an amount of dispersant to be used in the coal-water mixed fuel having the good fluidity with the increased density and obtain the a coal-water mixed fuel from pulverized coals produced by dry milling at low cost. According to this invention, in case of obtaining the high-density coal-water mixed fuel such as a CWM by mixing the pulverized coals ground to provide a predetermined particle size distribution, water and the dispersant, the hydrophilic colloid which causes the protective effect with respect to the pulverized coals is added and mixed preferably before adding the dispersant so that the high-density coal-water mixed fuel which includes the hydrophilic colloid and a reduced amount of a surface active agent used can be provided.

Abstract: The intensity of the light emitted from the light-emitting diode 201 on wafer 105 is measured and then the potential difference between the terminals of the light-emitting element, and the plasma current flowing thereinto are derived from measured light intensity. Since the use of a camera enables non-contact measurement of emitted light intensity, the lead-in terminals for lead wires that are always required in conventional probing methods become unnecessary. In addition, since the target wafer does not require lead wire connection, wafers can be changed in the same way as performed for etching.

Abstract: The present invention relates to high-density coal-water mixed fuel and a producing method thereof and aims to reduce an amount of dispersant to be used in the coal-water mixed fuel having the good fluidity with the increased density and obtain the a coal-water mixed fuel from pulverized coals produced by dry milling at low cost. According to this invention, in case of obtaining the high-density coal-water mixed fuel such as a CWM by mixing the pulverized coals ground to provide a predetermined particle size distribution, water and the dispersant, the hydrophilic colloid which causes the protective effect with respect to the pulverized coals is added and mixed preferably before adding the dispersant so that the high-density coal-water mixed fuel which includes the hydrophilic colloid and a reduced amount of a surface active agent used can be provided.

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus in which power consumption is reduced, which can generate uniform plasma in a large range and in which minute processing in high etching selectivity and in high aspect ratio is enabled is disclosed. High density plasma is generated in a vacuum vessel housing a processed sample utilizing an electron cyclotron resonance phenomenon caused by an electromagnetic wave in an ultra-high frequency band and a magnetic field and the surface of the processed sample is etched using this plasma. An electromagnetic wave in an ultra-high frequency band for generating plasma is radiated from a planar conductive plate consisting of graphite or silicon which is arranged opposite to the surface of the processed sample into space inside the vacuum vessel. High density plasma in the low degree of dissociation can be generated by using an electromagnetic wave in an ultra-high frequency band and as a result, the controllability of etching reaction can be enhanced.

Abstract: There are provided a plasma processing apparatus and a plasma processing method which are suitable for processing a processed substance using a gas plasma containing fluorine atoms.Structural materials used for a high vacuum processing chamber of a plasma processing apparatus are aluminum, aluminum having an anodic oxide coating processed surface and a material having a film of aluminum oxide or a film having aluminum oxide as a main component. A part or the whole of the inner surfaces of the processing chamber is constructed with a pre-fluorinated material.When plasma processing of a processed substance is performed using a gas plasma containing fluorine atoms in the processing chamber having the pre-fluorinated inner surfaces, time-varying processing characteristic can be suppressed.

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus in which power consumption is reduced, which can generate uniform plasma in a large range and in which minute processing in high etching selectivity and in high aspect ratio is enabled is disclosed. High density plasma is generated in a vacuum vessel housing a processed sample utilizing an electron cyclotron resonance phenomenon caused by an electromagnetic wave in an ultra-high frequency band and a magnetic field and the surface of the processed sample is etched using this plasma. An electromagnetic wave in an ultra-high frequency band for generating plasma is radiated from a planar conductive plate consisting of graphite or silicon which is arranged opposite to the surface of the processed sample into space inside the vacuum vessel. High density plasma in the low degree of dissociation can be generated by using an electromagnetic wave in an ultra-high frequency band and as a result, the controllability of etching reaction can be enhanced.

Abstract: An apparatus for treating solid surface using a thermally excited molecular beam according to the present invention is capable of completely preventing flying of contaminant caused by a heating source to a sample. To achieve this, in the present invention, the heating source for exciting the molecules is hermetically separated from the sample. Alternatively, a container where the heating source is housed and a container where the sample is accommodated are separated such that a conductance between the two containers is sufficiently small. In this way, chemical reactions between the molecular beam of the reactive gas which is highly reactive and the heating source heated to high temperatures can be eliminated, and flying of the contaminant to the sample can thus be greatly reduced. As a result, flying of the contaminating substances caused by the heating source to the sample can be prevented, and reduction in the surface treating rate of the sample, caused by the contaminant, can be prevented.

Abstract: A surface processing method capable of processing the surface of a work at a high processing rate without damaging the surface of the work uses, in combination, a fast processing technique using charged particles and a moderate processing technique using neutral particles that scarcely damage the surface of the work, and a surface processing apparatus suitable for carrying out the surface processing method. In carrying out a surface treatment process, the substrate is processed in a moderate surface processing mode using neutral particles while the substrate is exposed substantially to charged particles, and the substrate is processed in a fast surface processing mode using charged particles while the substrate is not exposed substantially to charged particles to achieve the surface treatment process at a high processing rate without damaging the surface of the substrate.

Abstract: A method may be used to dry etch a sample including a plurality of regions different from each other in the photo-absorption of a light having a specified wavelength using an etching gas plasma. The method is capable of selectively etching the desired material from a plurality of materials having different types of band gap energies or from a plurality of materials having different band gap energies. The method includes a step of irradiating a light having the specified wavelength on the sample for reducing an etching rate of a region having a large photo-absorption coefficient to the light, thereby selectively etching a region having a small photo-absorption coefficient to the light.

Abstract: Anisotropic etching can be obtained in the direction of the incident heated beam of reactive gas with the introduction of a second material for controlling reactivity.

Abstract: A rotary compressor is disclosed which is equipped with a bypass hole for bypassing a fluid under compression to the intake side and the capacity thereof is controlled through opening and closing of the bypass hole with a piston which is operated via a control valve, whereby the bypass hole is opened at or in the vicinity of a discharge port of the compressor and the capacity of the compressor is made to be controllable in the range of one hundred to substantially zero percent. By the application of such a rotary compressor to the compressor for an air conditioner, capacity control in the range of about zero to 100% of discharge quantity can be accomplished so that it becomes possible to obtain cooling capability which is in response to the heat load.

Abstract: A rotary compressor is disclosed which is equipped with a bypass hole for bypassing a fluid under compression to the intake side and the capacity thereof is controlled through opening and closing of the bypass hole with a piston which is operated via a control valve, whereby the bypass hole is opened at or in the vicinity of a discharge port of the compressor and the capacity of the compressor is made to be controllable in the range of one hundred to substantially zero percent. By the application of such a rotary compressor to the compressor for an air conditioner, capacity control in the range of about zero to 100% of discharge quantity can be accomplished so that it becomes possible to obtain cooling capability which is in response to the heat load.