Abstract: Disclosed is a silica-based composite fine particle dispersion including a silica-based composite fine particle which comprises a mother particle containing amorphous silica as a main component with a child particle containing crystalline ceria as a main component on a surface thereof. Features of the silica-based composite fine particle include a silica to ceria mass ratio of 100:11 to 316, and when subjected to X-ray diffraction, only the crystalline phase of ceria is detected, and when subjected to X-ray diffraction for measurement, the crystalline ceria has a crystallite diameter of 10 to 25 nm.

Abstract: A subject of this invention is to provide a dispersion liquid of a silica-based composite particle, which can rapidly polish silica film, Si wafer or even hard-to-process material, can concurrently achieve high surface accuracy (less scratches, etc.), and can suitably be used for surface polishing of semiconductor devices including semiconductor substrate and wiring board, by virtue of its impurity-free nature. The subject is solved by a dispersion liquid of a silica-based composite particle that contains a silica-based composite particle that has a core particle mainly composed of amorphous silica, and bound thereto a ceria particle mainly composed of crystalline ceria, further has a silica film that covers them.

Abstract: Disclosed is a silica-based composite fine particle dispersion including a silica-based composite fine particle which comprises a mother particle containing amorphous silica as a main component with a child particle containing crystalline ceria as a main component on a surface thereof. Features of the silica-based composite fine particle include a silica to ceria mass ratio of 100:11 to 316, and when subjected to X-ray diffraction, only the crystalline phase of ceria is detected, and when subjected to X-ray diffraction for measurement, the crystalline ceria has a crystallite diameter of 10 to 25 nm.

Abstract: A subject of this invention is to provide a dispersion liquid of a silica-based composite particle, which can rapidly polish silica film, Si wafer or even hard-to-process material, can concurrently achieve high surface accuracy (less scratches, etc.), and can suitably be used for surface polishing of semiconductor devices including semiconductor substrate and wiring board, by virtue of its impurity-free nature. The subject is solved by a dispersion liquid of a silica-based composite particle that contains a silica-based composite particle that has a core particle mainly composed of amorphous silica, and bound thereto a ceria particle mainly composed of crystalline ceria, further has a silica film that covers them.

Abstract: In a catalytic CVD equipment, a holder includes an antireflective structure for preventing reflection of a radiant ray that is ejected from the catalytic wire toward the side of the substrate.

Abstract: In producing nodular silica sol, a polymerized silicic acid solution with viscosity of silicic acid from 0.9 to 100 mPa·s is prepared by aging a silicic acid solution with pH from 1.0 to 7.0 and silica concentration from 0.05 to 3.0% by weight at a temperature from 1 to 98° C. Then, a seed liquid is prepared by adding an alkali to the polymerized solution to adjust the pH from 10 to 12.5 and heating the resultant mixture solution at a temperature from 50 to 150° C. According to necessity, an alkali is added to the obtained seed liquid to adjust the pH in from 9 to 12.5. Finally, a silicic acid solution or a highly purified silicic acid solution is dropped to the seed liquid at a temperature from 20 to 98° C. continuously or intermittently for building up.

Abstract: In a catalytic CVD equipment, a holder includes an antireflective structure for preventing reflection of a radiant ray that is ejected from the catalytic wire toward the side of the substrate.

Abstract: The present invention provides a sol of spinous inorganic oxide particles not containing coarse particles, in which particles having extremely homogeneous particles are dispersed in a solvent. An acidic silicic acid is added to a dispersion liquid of core particles to grow core particles, and then again the acidic silicic acid is added at the addition rate 1.2 to 1.8 higher than that in the previous step to prepare a sol of spinous inorganic oxide particles. Then the sol is subjected to centrifugation to remove coarse particles having the diameter of 800 nm or more, thus spinous inorganic oxide particles having peculiar form such as a spinous one being obtained.

Abstract: The present invention provides a sol of spinous silica-based particles in which silica-based particles having peculiar forms, spinous forms are dispersed in a solvent. The spinous silica-based particles have verrucous projections formed on surfaces of spherical silica-based particles. In the spinous particles, a value of the surface roughness (SA1/SA2, SA1 indicating a specific surface area measured by the BET method or the Sears method and SA2 indicating a specific surface area converted from an average particle diameter (D2) measured by the image analysis method) is in the range from 1.7 to 10. Furthermore the average diameter (D2) measured by the image analysis method is in the range from 7 to 150 nm.

Abstract: A nodular silica sol has a ratio of an average particle diameter (r) measured by the dynamic light scattering method versus a particle diameter (r?) converted to that of an equivalent sphere computed from an average specific surface area measured by means of the nitrogen absorption method (r/r?, referred to as “association ratio”) in a range from 1.2 to 10, the particle diameter (r?) in a range from 5 to 200 nm, and the specific surface area in a range from 13 to 550 m2/g. The nodular silica particles have heterogeneous forms, and contents of Ca and Mg contained in the nodular silica particles are below 1000 ppm against SiO2 respectively.

Abstract: A novel nodular silica sol adapted to use as a polishing material for polishing, for instance, CMP. The nodular silica sol has a ratio of an average particle diameter (r) measured by the dynamic light scattering method versus a particle diameter (r?) converted to that of an equivalent sphere computed from an average specific surface area measured by means of the nitrogen absorption method (r/r?, referred to as “association ratio”) in a range from 1.2 to 10, the particle diameter (r?) in a range from 5 to 200 nm, and the specific surface area in a range from 13 to 550 m2/g. The nodular silica particles have heterogeneous forms, and contents of Ca and Mg contained in the nodular silica particles are below 1000 ppm against SiO2 respectively.

Abstract: The present invention provides a sol of spinous inorganic oxide particles not containing coarse particles, in which particles having extremely homogeneous particles are dispersed in a solvent. An acidic silicic acid is added to a dispersion liquid of core particles to grow core particles, and then again the acidic silicic acid is added at the addition rate 1.2 to 1.8 higher than that in the previous step to prepare a sol of spinous inorganic oxide particles. Then the sol is subjected to centrifugation to remove coarse particles having the diameter of 800 nm or more, thus spinous inorganic oxide particles having peculiar form such as a spinous one being obtained.

Abstract: The present invention provides a sol of spinous silica-based particles in which silica-based particles having peculiar forms, spinous forms are dispersed in a solvent. The spinous silica-based particles have verrucous projections formed on surfaces of spherical silica-based particles. In the spinous particles, a value of the surface roughness (SA1/SA2, SA1 indicating a specific surface area measured by the BET method or the Sears method and SA2 indicating a specific surface area converted from an average particle diameter (D2) measured by the image analysis method) is in the range from 1.7 to 10. Furthermore the average diameter (D2) measured by the image analysis method is in the range from 7 to 150 nm.

Abstract: In polishing particles each having a core-shell structure, a polishing rate can be controlled by adjusting a thickness and/or density of a shell portion. The polishing particles have the core-shell structure with an average diameter in the range from 5 to 300 nm, and the shell portion of the polishing particles includes silica with a thickness in the range from 1 to 50 nm. A density of the shell portion is in the from 1.6 to 2.2 g/cc, while the Na content of the shell portion is less than 10 ppm.

Abstract: The present invention provides a dispersion liquid of silica particles for polishing with a low content of Na ions and also with a content of ions other than Na ions in a prespecified range. This dispersion liquid is a dispersion liquid of silica particles in which the silica particles having the average particle diameter in the range from 5 to 300 nm is dispersed, and a content of Na ions in the silica particle is less than 100 ppm, while a contents of ions other than Na ions is in the range from 300 ppm to 2 weight %.

Abstract: In the polishing particles each having a core-shell structure, the polishing rate can be controlled by adjusting the thickness and/or density of the shell portion. The polishing particles having the core-shell structure with the average diameter (D) in the range from 5 to 300 nm, and the shell portion of the polishing particles comprises silica with the thickness (ST) in the range from 1 to 50 nm, and the density of the shell portion is in the range from 1.6 to 2.2 g/cc, while the Na content of the shell portion is less than 10 ppm.

Abstract: The present invention provides a dispersion liquid of silica particles for polishing with a low content of Na ions and also with a content of ions other than Na ions in a prespecified range. This dispersion liquid is a dispersion liquid of silica particles in which the silica particles having the average particle diameter in the range from 5 to 300 nm is dispersed, and a content of Na ions in the silica particle is less than 100 ppm, while a contents of ions other than Na ions is in the range from 300 ppm to 2 weight %.

Abstract: This invention manufactures a photovoltaic device by the following process steps: a step to form a first electrode layer and a light-active semiconductor layer on an insulating surface of the substrate; a step to form a transparent conducting film over most of the insulating surface including the light-active semiconductor layer; a step to establish a patterned transparent protective layer on the transparent conducting film over power generating regions; and a step to irradiate ultraviolet laser light over most of the substrate to remove exposed portions of the transparent conducting film not masked by the pattered transparent protective layer and form a transparent conducting layer corresponding to the pattered transparent protective layer. The patterned transparent protective layer serves a dual purpose as masking material for removing the specified areas of the transparent conducting film by ultraviolet laser and as a transparent protective layer.

Abstract: A method for setting a steel stock discharge temperature of a heating furnace in a hot rolling line in which both fuel unit consumption in the heating furnace and that in a rolling line are calculated to obtain a total fuel unit consumption in the entire line, and an optimum discharge temperature is calculated so as to satisfy a metallurgical discharge temperature restrictive condition and minimize the above total fuel unit consumption and the optimum discharge temperature is used as the steel stock discharge temperature.

Abstract: A method of controlling an edging opening in a rolling mill, comprising measuring a width distribution of a plate to be rolled at an inlet of an edging roll in the rolling mill, calculating beforehand a width deviation distribution and a length in the moving direction of the plate at an irregular deformation portion caused in a rolling process in accordance with a predetermined pass schedule and a target width deviation distribution of the rolled plate required at an outlet of the rolling mill, calculating an optimum edging opening variation distribution using a plate width adjustment efficiency calculated on the basis of the beforehand calculated value and supplying the optimum edging opening variation distribution to an edging opening setting unit for the feedforward control.