Abstract: A dust removing apparatus equipped with a back washing mechanism and a dust removing method for removing solid silica fine powder contained in a gas discharged from a semiconductor producing step of a single-wafer processing atmospheric pressure CVD apparatus without causing problems caused by the increase of a pressure loss and by a pressure fluctuation, wherein filter elements each having a ratio of a surface area of a primary side of a filter membrane to an apparent external surface area of the filter element of from 1 to 5 is used, gas jetting nozzle(s) for back washing is formed in the secondary side of the filter element, back washing is not carried out during filtration in the filter element and at or after changing the processing of a wafer in the CVD apparatus, back washing is carried out to blow down the silica fine powder accumulated on the primary side of the filter membrane.

Abstract: In order to automatically renew data using a modem which can simultaneously transmit/receive audio and data signal, there is disclosed an apparatus having a modem which can simultaneously transmit/receive audio and data signal (4 in FIG. 2), a discrimination circuit (flow chart in FIG. 5B) for discriminating if a communication partner is a specific partner, and a control CPU (flow charts in FIGS. 4A and 4B) for controlling the modem to perform a predetermined data communication together with an audio call on the basis of the discrimination result of the discrimination circuit.

Abstract: A shoe is provided with a cushioning element, preferably a heel strike cushioning element for a sole portion of the shoe. The cushioning element includes a first chamber having substantially transparent flexible walls filled for example, with a liquid or gel cushioning material. A second chamber is provided having gas impervious, preferably substantially transparent walls which receive therebetween and enclose a portion of the first chamber. The first chamber is seated over the second chamber to form a gas filled cell between the walls of the enclosed portion of the first chamber and the walls of the second chamber. Preferably, a plurality of ribs project from the walls of the second chamber into the gas filled cell to form a plurality of gas filled pockets between the ribs, and the walls of the enclosed portion of the first chamber and the second chamber. The second chamber of the cushioning element is disposed over the sole portion.

Abstract: In order to automatically renew data using a modem which can simultaneously transmit/receive audio and data signal, there is disclosed an apparatus having a modem which can simultaneously transmit/receive audio and data signal (4 in FIG. 2), a discrimination circuit (flow chart in FIG. 5B) for discriminating if a communication partner is a specific partner, and a control CPU (flow charts in FIGS. 4A and 4B) for controlling the modem to perform a predetermined data communication together with an audio call on the basis of the discrimination result of the discrimination circuit.

Abstract: A photomask for use in forming a photoresist pattern by projection exposure, comprising opaque stripes respectively arranged on a mask substrate at a given pitch and phase shifters formed alternately on light-transmissive areas between said opaque stripes. The widths of the opaque stripes are larger than those of said light-transmissive areas whereby the edges of said phase shifters on said light-transmissive areas are prevented from being transferred to a wafer.

Abstract: In a photomask for use in forming a resist pattern by projection exposure of a resist through the photomask, a phase shifter has a first edge part whose image is to be transferred and a second edge part whose image is not to be transferred. A light attenuator is provided to cover the first edge part. The light attenuator may include an array of opaque stripes arranged at a pitch of not more than the limit of resolution, i.e., 0.5.times..lambda./NA, where .lambda. represents the wavelength of light used for the projection exposure, and NA represents the numerical aperture of an optical system used for the projection exposure. In another embodiment, the light attenuator is formed to cover a shifter edge part in alignment with a line of a transmission mask. In a further embodiment, one or more light attenuators having different transparency are used to obtain lines of a resist pattern having different widths.

Abstract: A photoresist composition is disclosed. The photoresist composition comprises a base resin, a photosensitizer, and a solvent. The base resin comprises polyhydroxystyrene represented by the following structural formula (I): ##STR1## (wherein k is a positive integer). The photosensitizer comprises a polyhalogen compound(s). The photoresist composition of the present invention has dry etching resistance characteristics comparable to those of conventional positive novolak photoresist compositions and can form a resist pattern with a high resolution and vertical sidewall profiles. This makes microprocessing possible.

Abstract: A process for forming a photoresist pattern comprises the steps of forming a photoresist layer on an underlying layer, forming a contrast enhancement layer for enhancing the contrast of light entering the photoresist layer on the photoresist layer, selectively exposing the photoresist layer through the contrast enhancement layer to light, and developing the photoresist layer to form a photoresist pattern. The contrast enhancement layer is formed as a layer containing a photobleachable agent and a material soluble in both of a nonpolar organic solvent and an aqueous alkali solution. The material is selected from the group of abietic acid, a derivative thereof, a rosin containing abietic acid as the main component, and a derivative thereof. The contrast enhancement layer is treated and removed simultaneously with development for the photoresist. The stability of a coating solution for the contrast enhancement layer is remarkably high.

Abstract: A pattern-forming material is made by halogenoacetylation of the hydroxyl group of the copolymer of hydroxystyrene, and methyl methacrylate or ethyl methacrylate copolymer. The pattern-forming material in this invention is based on a resin copolymer of hydroxystyrene which has excellent dry etching resistance properties and methyl methacrylate or hydroxy ethyl methacrylate which is transparent to deep UV radiation over a relatively wide spectral range, combined with halogenoacetyl groups as photoreactive groups. Further, as the pattern-forming materials of this invention are soluble in the various liquids described below, a resist solution can easily be prepared, and a film of the material can easily be formed by the spin coating process.

Abstract: A method of forming a photoresist pattern wherein a photoresist coating film of naphthoquinone diazide sulfonate of novolak is formed on a substrate layer, the photoresist coating film is exposed by selectively irradiating with near ultraviolet radiation of 350 to 450 nm through a photomask, and the exposed photoresist coating film is developed with an either a negative type or positive type developing solution. The resultant photoresist pattern is usable for manufacturing a highly integrated circuit such as LSI which requires fine processing techniques.

Abstract: A process for forming patterns with a negative type resist which comprises the steps of forming a negative type resist film made of quinone diazide oligomer having a polymerization degree of 10 or less, such as a quinone diazide sulfonic ester on a substrate, irradiating the resist film selectively with far ultraviolet rays having a wavelength of 180-300 nm to expose the above film, and then developing the film thus exposed by the use of a suitable developer such as a solution containing any one of an acetic ester, an alkyl ketone and cyclohexanone, and another process wherein the above described exposing step is carried out in such a manner that the quinone diazide sulfonic ester film is subjected to blanket exposure by means of ultraviolet rays having a longer wavelength than 300 nm, and then the resist film, thus exposed, is further subjected to selective exposure by means of far ultraviolet rays of 300 nm or less.

Abstract: A negative type resist for high energy beam such as electron beam, X-rays or the like made from quinone diazide ester of an oligomer having a polymerization degree of 1-20, and a process for forming a pattern with the same type resist.

Abstract: An aqueous coating composition comprising a resin in a water-soluble or water-dispersible form as a film-forming component, said resin being a copolymer of (A) a fatty acid-modified acrylic monomer comprising the reaction product of an unsaturated fatty acid having at least two non-conjugated double bonds with a hydroxyl-containing acrylic or methacrylic ester, (B) an .alpha.,.beta.-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid, and (C) an unsaturated monomer having a Q value, determined by the Q-e theory, of at least 0.1.

Abstract: An aqueous coating composition comprising as film-forming components[I] a water-soluble or water-dispersible product of a resin (i) obtained by copolymerizing(A) a fatty acid-modified acrylic monomer composed of the reaction product between an unsaturated fatty acid having at least two non-conjugated double bonds and a hydroxyl-containing ester of acrylic or methacrylic acid,(B) an .alpha.,.beta.-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid, and(C) an unsaturated monomer having a Q value in the Q-e theory of at least 0.1, and[II] a vinyl polymer emulsion obtained by polymerizing an unsaturated vinyl monomer in the presence of a water-soluble oxidation-curable resin (ii) as a dispersion stabilizer.

Abstract: A resist utilized to prepare semiconductor elements or the like comprises a copolymer of, for example, 2,3 dibromo-n-propyl methacrylate and methylmethacrylate. The resist is applied onto a substrate to form a copolymer resist layer, the copolymer resist layer is irradiated with ionizing radiations, the irradiated portions of the copolymer resist layer are dissolved to form a positive pattern, the positive pattern is heated in inert atmosphere to cause crosslinking reaction of reactive radicals remaining in the copolymer resist, and then the assembly is etched with a liquid etchant to form an etched pattern on the substrate. Alternatively, the positive pattern and the underlying substrate are treated with plasma or ions to cause a crosslinking reaction of reactive radicals remaining in the copolymer resist to simultaneously etch portions of the substrate not covered by the positive pattern.

Abstract: An emulsion composition prepared by the emulsion polymerization of a polymerizable vinyl monomer in the presence of an emulsifier characterized in that the emulsifier is a neutralized copolymer of (A) a monomer prepared by being allowed at least one glycidyl ester of arcylic acid and methacrylic acid to react with at least one fatty acid of drying oil fatty acid and semi-drying oil fatty acid, (B) .alpha.,.beta.-ethylenically unsaturated acid and (C) an unsaturated monomer containing substantially no carboxyl group and having a Q value of at least 0.1 as determined by Q-e theory.

Abstract: An emulsion composition prepared by subjecting a mixture of monoethylenically unsaturated monomer and polyethylenically unsaturated monomer to emulsion polymerization with use of an emulsifier, the emulsifier being a water-soluble resin having a dry oil fatty acid residue or semi-drying oil fatty acid residue, or a water-soluble petroleum resin having non-vinyl type double bonds.

Abstract: An emulsion composition prepared by the emulsion polymerization of a polymerizable vinyl monomer in the presence of an emulsifier characterized in that the emusifier is a neutralized maleate, partial maleate, fumarate or partial fumarate of an addition polymerization polymer having as a side chain a drying oil fatty acid residue and/or semi-drying oil fatty acid residue linked to the main chain of the polymer by an ester bond.