Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Hirokazu Otoshi

Ryuji Okamura

Tetsuya Takei

Yasuyoshi Takai

Takehito Yoshino

Masatoshi Tanaka

Masahiro Kanai

Koichiro Moriyama

Keishi Saitoh

Koji Yamazaki

Tatsuyuki Aoike

Koichi Matsuda

Toshimitsu Kariya

Toshiyuki Ehara

Hiroshi Echizen

Atsushi Yasuno

Hiroshi Izawa

Kohei Yoshida

Shigeru Shirai

Satoshi Kojima

Teruo Misumi

Hiroyuki Katagiri

Yukito Aota

The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for forming a deposited film which can repeatedly form a large amount of functional deposited films with good reproducibility without degradation in the characteristics of films formed even when gas leakage occurs in a shut-off valve, and without reducing the yield as a result when gas leakage occurs in the shut-off valve, by immediately detecting and repairing it. The deposited film forming apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a chamber capable of maintaining an interior thereof under vacuum; a source gas supply piping for supplying a source gas into the chamber; an evacuation system piping for evacuating the interior of the chamber; a gas supply piping for use in opening to atmosphere, for supplying a gas for returning a pressure within the chamber to atmospheric pressure, wherein a plurality of shut-off valves are provided in series between a gas source of the gas for returning the pressure within the chamber to the atmospheric pressure and the chamber, and a pressure-gauge and/or evacuating means are provided between the plurality of shut-off valves.

Apparatus and method for forming deposited film

A deposited film forming apparatus comprises: a chamber capable of maintaining an interior thereof under vacuum; a source gas supply piping for supplying a source gas into the chamber; an evacuation system piping for evacuating the interior of the chamber; a gas supply piping for use in opening to atmosphere, for supplying a gas for returning a pressure within the chamber to atmospheric pressure, wherein a plurality of shut-off valves are provided in series between a gas source of the gas for returning the pressure within the chamber to atmospheric pressure and the chamber, and a pressure gauge and/or evacuating means are provided between the plurality of shut-off valves.

A film forming method is described using an apparatus with a plurality of vacuum chambers which communicate with each other via a connection, where the apparatus has one or more detachable treatment rooms and where the method includes continuously forming a plurality of films on a band-shaped substrate within the treatment rooms, while continuously moving the substrate through the treatment rooms. The treatment rooms within said desired vacuum chambers are replaced after forming the film for a predetermined period as a part of the film forming method.

Film forming method

A film forming apparatus for forming a plurality of films on a substrate through a continuous process, comprising a plurality of vacuum chambers in communication to each other via connection, at least vacuum chamber having internally a treatment detachable from the vacuum chamber for fulfilling a predetermined treatment on the substrate.

Film forming apparatus

A plasma processing method for processing a substrate includes a discharge beginning step of supplying a second high-frequency power into a processing chamber through an impedance matching circuit and then supplying a first high-frequency power larger than a power used in processing into the processing chamber to generate a plasma. An adjustment step of reducing the first high-frequency power to be close to the value used in processing, increasing the second high-frequency power to be close to the value in processing, and then adjusting the first high-frequency power to obtain a plasma strength of a predetermined value is part of the method. The plasma processing step of causing the impedance matching circuit to perform a matching operation and simultaneously adjusting the first high-frequency power to obtain a plasma strength of a desired value in processing is also part of the method. Plasma discharge can be automatically, smoothly begun with high reproducibility, and stable plasma discharge can be maintained. Even in the case of disappearance of discharge, plasma discharge can be quickly restarted.

Plasma processing method and apparatus

In a microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition apparatus for forming a functional deposited film on a substrate which comprises a substantially enclosed film-forming chamber comprising a circumferential wall having an end portion thereof hermetically provided with a microwave introducing window to which a waveguide extending from a microwave power source is connected, said film-forming chamber having a discharge space for causing plasma discharge of resulting in forming a deposited film on a substrate, said substrate being positioned on a substrate holder arranged in said film-forming chamber and said film-forming chamber being provided with means for supplying a film-forming raw material gas into said discharge space and means for evacuating said film-forming chamber, the improvement which comprises a dielectric sheet being movably placed on the surface of said microwave introducing window situated in said film-forming chamber in a state that said dielectric sheet is face to face contacted with said surface of the microwave introducing window.

Microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition process using a microwave

An improved microwave plasma CVD process for forming a functional deposited film using a microwave transmissive window composed of a sintered alpha-alumina ceramics body containing alpha-alumina as a matrix comprised of fine particles with a mean particle size d satisfying the equation 0.5 .mu.m.ltoreq.d.ltoreq.50 .mu.m and with a ratio of .rho..sub.2 /.rho..sub.1 between the theoretical density .rho..sub.1 and the bulk density .rho..sub.2 satisfying the equation 0.800.ltoreq..rho..sub.2 /.rho..sub.1 .ltoreq.0.995.

Process for using microwave plasma CVD

A light receiving member comprising a substrate and a light receiving layer disposed on said substrate, said light receiving layer having a stacked structure comprising a plurality of constituent layers each being composed of a non-single crystal material containing silicon atoms as a matrix and at least either hydrogen atoms or halogen atoms, characterized in that said light receiving layer has a region containing at least one kind of atoms selected from the group consisting of hydrogen atoms and halogen atoms at an enhanced concentration distribution in the thickness direction in the vicinity of at least one layer interface of the light receiving layer.

Light receiving member having a multi-layered light receiving layer with

A deposited film-forming apparatus comprising a reaction chamber capable of maintaining at a reduced pressure, means for arranging a substrate on which a film is to be formed in said reaction chamber, a gas feed means for supplying a gaseous raw material into said reaction chamber and means for introducing a microwave energy into said reaction chamber, characterized in that said gas feed means is arranged in the space circumscribed by said substrate, said gas feed means comprises a multiple pipe structure, said multiple pipe structure being connected to a gas supply source for supplying said gaseous raw material, the respective constituent pipes of said multiple pipe structure being provided with a plurality of gas spouting holes such that said gas spouting holes are in communication with each other, and means for applying a bias voltage between said substrate and said gas feed means.

Microwave plasma CVD apparatus comprising coaxially aligned multiple gas

A process for forming a functional deposited film which is adapted for use in an apparatus which comprises a substantially enclosed reaction chamber, a plurality of cylindrical substrates arranged to surround a discharge space and a microwave introduction means provided at least at one end of each cylindrical substrate and wherein microwave energy is introduced so that a glow discharge plasma containing reactant gases derived from starting gases is formed in the discharge space thereby forming a deposited film on each cylindrical substrate is described. The process is characterized in that a temperature control means is provided in the inside of each of said plurality of cylindrical substrates and simultaneous with the introduction of a thermally conductive gas, the thermally conductive gas is exhausted from the one end of each cylindrical substrate in the vicinity of the microwave introduction means. The process enables the deposited film of good quality to be formed stably at high speed and the deposited film is useful as an element member for semiconductive devices, photosensitive devices for electrophotography, photovoltaic devices, other electronic elements and optical elements.

Process and apparatus for microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition

An improved microwave plasma CVD apparatus for forming a functional deposited film which is provided with a microwave transmissive window composed of a sintered alpha-alumina ceramics body containing alpha-alumina as a matrix comprised of fine particles with a mean particle size d satisfying the equation 0.5 .mu.m.ltoreq.d.ltoreq.50 .mu.m and with a ratio of .rho..sub.2 /.rho..sub.1 between the theoretical density .rho..sub.1 and the bulk density .rho..sub.2 satisfying the equation 0.800.ltoreq..rho..sub.2 /.rho..sub.1 .ltoreq.0.995.

Microwave plasma CVD apparatus provided with a microwave transmissive

An electrophotographic image-forming and developing method using as light receiving member an amorphous silicon light receiving member which comprises a substrate and a light receiving layer disposed on said substrate, said light receiving layer comprising a first layer capable of exhibiting a photoconductivity, a second layer capable of supporting a latent image and a third layer capable of supporting a developed image being laminated in this order on said substrate, said first layer being formed of an amorphous material containing silicon atoms as a matrix, and at least one kind of atoms selected from the group consisting of hydrogen atoms and halogen atoms, said second layer being formed of an amorphous material containing silicon atoms as a matrix, carbon atoms, atoms of an element belonging to Group III of the Periodic Table, and at least one kind of atoms selected from the group consisting of hydrogen atoms and halogen atoms, and said third layer being formed of an amorphous material containing silicon atoms as a matrix, carbon atoms and at least one kind of atoms selected from the group consisting of hydrogen atoms and halogen atoms; and using as said toner a fine particle insulating toner having a volume average particle size in the range of 4.5 to 9 um and an apparent viscosity at 100.degree. C. in the range of 1.times.10.sup.4 to 2.times.10.sup.5 poise.

Electrophotographic method using an amorphous silicon light receiving

In an electrophotographic image-forming method to be practiced in an electrophotographic image-forming system including a halogen lamp light source, an optical system, a cylindrical photosensitive member, a main corona charger, an electrostatic latent image-forming mechanism, a development mechanism containing magnetic toner, a transfer sheet feeding mechanism, a transfer charger, a separating charger, a transfer sheet conveying mechanism, a cleaning mechanism and a charge-removing light source which is capable of adjusting an image-forming process speed, the improvement comprises: using an amorphous silicon light receiving member which comprises a substrate and a light receiving layer disposed on said substrate, said light receiving layer comprising a first layer capable of exhibiting a photoconductivity, a second layer capable of supporting a latent image and a third layer capable of supporting a developed image being laminated in this order on said substrate, said first layer being formed of an amorphous material containing silicon atoms as a matrix, and at least one kind of atoms selected from the group consisting of hydrogen atoms and halogen atoms, said second layer being formed of an amorphous material containing silicon atoms as a matrix, carbon atoms, atoms of an element belonging to Group III of the Periodic Table, and at least one kind of atoms selected from the group consisting of hydrogen atoms and halogen atoms, and said third layer being formed of an amorphous material containing silicon atoms as a matrix, carbon atoms and at least one kind of atoms selected from the group consisting of hydrogen atoms and halogen atoms; and using a fine particle insulating toner having a volume average particle size in the range of 4.5 to 9 .mu.m.

Electrophotographic image-forming method wherein an amorphous silicon

Process and apparatus for the formation of a functional deposited film

A microwave plasma CVD apparatus for forming a functional deposited film comprises a film-forming chamber having a discharge space, a substrate holder, and apparatus for introducing a film-forming raw material gas into the film-forming chamber, for transmitting microwaves into the film-forming chamber to apply microwave energy to the raw material gas so that the raw material gas is converted into plasma, and for simultaneously applying a bias voltage to the plasma generated in the discharge space from an external system to control the plasma potential. A mechanism is provided for temporarily suspending the application of the bias voltage in the case when abnormal discharge occurs, while monitoring the fluctuation of the bias voltage to be applied to the plasma, to thereby inhibit the occurrence of abnormal discharge.

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Nagahama, Japan

Hirokazu Otoshi