Abstract: A layer formation method is disclosed which comprises supplying gas to a discharge space, exciting the supplied gas at atmospheric pressure or at approximately atmospheric pressure by applying a high frequency electric field across the discharge space, and exposing a substrate to the excited gas, wherein the high frequency electric field is an electric field in which a first high frequency electric field and a second high frequency electric field are superposed, frequency ?2 of the second high frequency electric field is higher than frequency ?1 of the first high frequency electric field, strength V1 of the first high frequency electric field, strength V2 of the second high frequency electric field and strength IV of discharge starting electric field satisfy relationship V1?IV>V2 or V1>IV?V2, and power density of the second high frequency electric field is not less than 1 W/cm2.

Abstract: A layer formation method is disclosed which comprises supplying gas to a discharge space, exciting the supplied gas at atmospheric pressure or at approximately atmospheric pressure by applying a high frequency electric field across the discharge space, and exposing a substrate to the excited gas, wherein the high frequency electric field is an electric field in which a first high frequency electric field and a second high frequency electric field are superposed, frequency &ohgr;2 of the second high frequency electric field is higher than frequency &ohgr;1 of the first high frequency electric field, strength V1 of the first high frequency electric field, strength V2 of the second high frequency electric field and strength IV of discharge starting electric field satisfy relationship V1≧IV>V2 or V1>IV≧V2, and power density of the second high frequency electric field is not less than 1 W/cm2.

Abstract: A layer formation method is disclosed which comprises supplying gas to a discharge space, exciting the supplied gas at atmospheric pressure or at approximately atmospheric pressure by applying a high frequency electric field across the discharge space, and exposing a substrate to the excited gas, wherein the high frequency electric field is an electric field in which a first high frequency electric field and a second high frequency electric field are superposed, frequency &ohgr;2 of the second high frequency electric field is higher than frequency &ohgr;1 of the first high frequency electric field, strength V1 of the first high frequency electric field, strength V2 of the second high frequency electric field and strength IV of discharge starting electric field satisfy relationship V1≧IV>V2 or V1>IV≧V2, and power density of the second high frequency electric field is not less than 1 W/cm2.

Abstract: A layer formation method is disclosed which comprises supplying gas to a discharge space, exciting the supplied gas at atmospheric pressure or at approximately atmospheric pressure by applying a high frequency electric field across the discharge space, and exposing a substrate to the excited gas, wherein the high frequency electric field is an electric field in which a first high frequency electric field and a second high frequency electric field are superposed, frequency &ohgr;2 of the second high frequency electric field is higher than frequency &ohgr;1 of the first high frequency electric field, strength V1 of the first high frequency electric field, strength V2 of the second high frequency electric field and strength IV of discharge starting electric field satisfy relationship V1≧IV>V2 or V1>IV≧V2, and power density of the second high frequency electric field is not less than 1 W/cm2.

Abstract: A method of producing fine particles of a material by evaporating the material into an inert gas. The material is evaporated in a evaporation vessel and the fine particles are generated by cooling the evaporated material with the inert gas blown into the evaporated material from the evaporation vessel. The flow of the fine particles is restricted within a path from the evaporation vessel toward a deposit holding body by means of a scatter preventing wall around the path. The fine particles are deposited on the surface of the evaporation vessel and then receovered.

Abstract: A vapor source-holding container has an opening smaller than the evaporating area of the material held in the container and a wall portion in contact with the material and having an emissivity lower than the external surface of the wall portion not in contact with the material.

Abstract: An evaporation source designed so that two or more materials to be evaporated are heated to evaporate by respective heaters, as well as method of using such an evaporation source are disclosed. The evaporation source further includes means for detecting the temperature of the slowly evaporating material and means for controlling the heaters on the basis of the detected temperature. The method of using this evaporation source comprises controlling the temperature of the slowly evaporating material in order to control the temperature of the evaporation source in such a manner that the respective materials are simultaneously heated to evaporate and deposit a film on a substrate.