Abstract: Disclosed is a process for making a composite material that contains structured particles. The process includes providing a first precursor in the form of a dry precursor powder, a precursor liquid, a precursor vapor of a liquid and/or a precursor gas. The process also includes providing a plasma that has a high field zone and passing the first precursor through the high field zone of the plasma. As the first precursor passes through the high field zone of the plasma, at least part of the first precursor is decomposed. An aerosol having a second precursor is provided downstream of the high field zone of the plasma and the decomposed first material is allowed to condense onto the second precursor to from structured particles.

Abstract: A method of making a window unit is provided which may result in improved yields. In certain example embodiments, the method involves coating a substrate with both (i) a solar control/management coating, and (ii) a protective layer (e.g., of or including diamond-like carbon (DLC)) over the solar control/management coating. The protective layer protects the coated substrate from scratches and/or the like during processing prior to heat treatment. Then, during heat treatment, the protective layer(s) is burned off in part or in whole. Following heat treatment, the coated article (substrate with solar control/management coating thereon) is coupled to another substrate in order to form the window unit.

Abstract: A method of making a window unit is provided which may result in improved yields. In certain example embodiments, the method involves coating a substrate with both (i) a solar control/management coating, and (ii) a protective layer (e.g., of or including diamond-like carbon (DLC)) over the solar control/management coating. The protective layer protects the coated substrate from scratches and/or the like during processing prior to heat treatment. Then, during heat treatment, the protective layer(s) is burned off in part or in whole. Following heat treatment, the coated article (substrate with solar control/management coating thereon) is coupled to another substrate in order to form the window unit.

Abstract: A file is formed by coating a substrate with a film-forming composition including a compound having an alicyclic hydrocarbon structure and irradiating the coated composition with microwaves having a frequency of 5.8 GHz. An insulating film is formed by irradiating a film including a compound having a siloxane structure with microwave having a frequency of 5.8 GHz. These films possess excellent film properties such as dielectric constant and mechanical strength.

Abstract: A film comprising an i-carbon is formed by converting a reactive gas containing a carbon compound gas into plasma by a resonance using a microwave and a magnetic field.

Abstract: A plasma-based method for the deposition of diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings is described. The process uses a radio-frequency inductively coupled discharge to generate a plasma at relatively low gas pressures. The deposition process is environmentally friendly and scaleable to large areas, and components that have geometrically complicated surfaces can be processed. The method has been used to deposit adherent 100-400 nm thick DLC coatings on metals, glass, and polymers. These coatings are between three and four times harder than steel and are therefore scratch resistant, and transparent to visible light. Boron and silicon doping of the DLC coatings have produced coatings having improved optical properties and lower coating stress levels, but with slightly lower hardness.

Abstract: A method of producing diamond or diamond like films in which a negative bias is established on a substrate with an electrically conductive surface in a microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition system. The atmosphere that is subjected to microwave energy includes a source of carbon, nitrogen and hydrogen. The negative bias is maintained on the substrate through both the nucleation and growth phase of the film until the film is continuous. Biases between −100V and −200 are preferred. Carbon sources may be one or more of CH4, C2H2 other hydrocarbons and fullerenes.

Abstract: A process for improving the mechanical properties, particularly the flexural rigidity, of aramid fibers by directly depositing a diamond-like-carbon coating onto the surface of the fibers is disclosed. Diamond-like-carbon (DLC) coated aramid fibers having increased flexural rigidity are also disclosed. DLC coated aramid fibers show an increase in flexural rigidity and suppression of low yielding behavior when compared to uncoated aramid fibers.

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus and method is equipped with a reaction chamber, a microwave generator for generating a microwave within the reaction chamber, and main and auxiliary magnets for producing a magnetic filed parallel with microwave propagation direction. The auxiliary magnet is located along the wall of the reaction chamber so as to strengthen the magnetic filed at the periphery of the reaction chamber. A reactive gas containing a carbon compound gas is introduced into the chamber wherein the reactive gas is converted into a plasma by a resonance using the microwaves and the magnetic field. The presence of the auxiliary magnet produces a centrifugal drifting force within the reaction chamber, thereby confining the plasma gas to the center of the chamber. A substrate is then placed within the chamber and a film comprising amorphous carbon is deposited thereon.

Abstract: An abrasion-proof and static-erasing coating is formed on the contact surface of a contact image sensor. The coating comprises a first film having a high hardness and a low conductivity, a second film formed on the first film and having a low hardness and a high conductivity, and a third film having a high hardness and a high resistivity providing an abrasion-proof insulating external surface.

Abstract: In an apparatus for fabricating a carbon coating, an object such as a magnetic recording medium is disposed on a side of an electrode connected to a high-frequency power supply. Ultrasonic vibrations are supplied to the object. Discharge is generated between the electrode connected to the high-frequency power supply and a grounded electrode to fabricate a carbon coating on the surface of the object. Also, an electrode interval is set to 6 mm or less, pressure between the electrodes is set to 15 Torr to 100 Torr, whereby high-density plasma is generated to form an ion sheath on an anode side. Therefore, a coating is fabricated on the surface of the object by bombardment of ions.

Abstract: An object such as an automobile part, an image forming apparatus part, a bicycle part, other machine parts, a sport article or its part, a toy or its part, or a rain article or its part has a portion to be in contact with a contact object. The contact portion is made of at least one kind of material selected from a group including polymer material such as resin or rubber as well as glass, and the contact portion has a surface entirely or partially coated with a carbon film (typically, a DLC film) having a wear resistance as well as at least one of a lubricity, a water repellency and a gas barrier property. The carbon film is formed on the object with a good adhesion.

Abstract: A hard carbon film is formed over an inner surface of a guide bush including the steps of fixing an auxiliary electrode support member for supporting an auxiliary electrode of a jig for forming a film in a center bore of the guide bush by an auxiliary electrode insulation member, disposing an auxiliary electrode in alignment with the axis of the center bore so as to face the inner surface, disposing legs, and a first electrode plate, a second electrode plate, and the insulation member which are fixed to the legs are placed on the bottom of a vacuum vessel placing the guide bush on the first electrode plate contacted electrically with a power source, while the projection of the auxiliary electrode support member projecting out of the auxiliary electrode insulation member is contacted electrically with the second electrode plate.

Abstract: A method for forming a film by a plasma CVD process in which a high density plasma is generated in the presence of a magnetic field is described, characterized by that the electric power for generating the plasma has a pulsed waveform. The electric power typically is supplied by microwave, and the pulsed wave may be a complex wave having a two-step peak, or may be a complex wave obtained by complexing a pulsed wave with a stationary continuous wave of an electromagnetic wave having the same or different wavelength as that of the pulsed wave. The process enables deposition of a uniform film having an excellent adhesion to the substrate, at a reduced power consumption.

Abstract: A stress-relieved amorphous-diamond film is formed by depositing an amorphous diamond film with specific atomic structure and bonding on to a substrate, and annealing the film at sufficiently high temperature to relieve the compressive stress in said film without significantly softening said film. The maximum annealing temperature is preferably on the order of 650.degree. C., a much lower value than is expected from the annealing behavior of other materials.

Abstract: A new method for ion beam deposition of diamond-like carbon coatings onto a variety of substrates is described. A high power, radio frequency excited-inductively coupled ion gun directs a beam of carbon and hydrogen ions at a substrate inside an ultra vacuum deposition chamber. A four axis scanner is used for coating large and nonplaner substrates. A quadrupole mass spectrometer is mounted inside the deposition chamber for real time monitoring of ion composition. The disclosed method is particularly effective for coating zinc sulfide and zinc selenide infrared windows.

Abstract: A unique Hall-Current ion source apparatus is used for direct ion beam deposition of DLC coatings with hardness values greater than 10 GPa and at deposition rates greater than 10 .ANG. per second. This ion source has a unique fluid-cooled anode with a shadowed gap through which ion sources feed gases are introduced while depositing gases are injected into the plasma beam. The shadowed gap provides a well maintained, electrically active area at the anode surface which stays relatively free of non-conductive deposits. The anode discharge region is insulatively sealed to prevent discharges from migrating into the interior of the ion source. A method is described in which a substrate is disposed within a vacuum chamber, coated with a coating of DLC or Si-DLC at a high deposition rate using a Hall-Current ion source operating on carbon-containing or carbon-containing and silicon-containing precursor gases, respectively.

Abstract: A method of creating a diamond-like carbon film on a substrate, including the steps of exposing the substrate to a hydrocarbon gas environment and generating plasma in the environment of an electron density greater than approximately 5.times.10.sup.10 per cm.sup.3 and a sheath thickness less than about 2 mm under conditions of high ion flux and controlled, low energy ion bombardment.

Abstract: A process of coating a non-conductive fiber with diamond-like carbon, including passing a non-conductive fiber between a pair of parallel metal grids within a reaction chamber, introducing a hydrocarbon gas into the reaction chamber, forming a plasma within the reaction chamber for a sufficient period of time whereby diamond-like carbon is formed upon the non-conductive fiber, is provided together with a reactor chamber for deposition of diamond-like carbon upon a non-conductive fiber, including a vacuum chamber, a cathode assembly including a pair of electrically isolated opposingly parallel metal grids spaced apart at a distance of less than about 1 centimeter, an anode, a means of introducing a hydrocarbon gas into said vacuum chamber, and a means of generating a plasma within said vacuum chamber.

Abstract: A guide bush (11), coming in sliding contact with a workpiece, for use in an automatic lathe is placed in a vacuum vessel (61), and after inserting an auxiliary electrode (71), which is grounded or to which a positive DC voltage is applied, in the center bore (11j) of the guide bush (11), forming the inner surface (11b) thereof, the vacuum vessel (61) is evacuated such that an initially reached pressure therein is not higher than a predetermined degree of vacuum. Then, after a DC voltage is applied to an anode (79) and an AC voltage is applied to a filament (81) while applying a DC voltage to the guide bush (11), carbon-containing gas is fed into the vacuum vessel (61), producing a plasma therein and the pressure inside the vacuum vessel (61) is controlled to attain a film-forming pressure higher than the initially reached pressure while forming a hard carbon film over the inner surface of the guide bush (11) by means of a plasma CVD process.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a thermally stable carbon-based low dielectric constant film such as a hydrogenated amorphous carbon film or a diamond-like carbon film in a parallel plate chemical vapor deposition process utilizing plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition process is disclosed. Electronic devices containing insulating layers of thermally stable carbon-based low dielectric constant materials that are prepared by the method are further disclosed. In order to render the carbon-based low dielectric constant film thermally stable, i.e., at a temperature of at least 400.degree. C., the films are heat treated at a temperature of not less than 350.degree. C. for at least 0.5 hour. To enable the fabrication of thermally stable carbon-based low dielectric constant film, specific precursor materials such as cyclic hydrocarbons should be used, for instance, cyclohexane or benzene.