Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Limited

Shigenori Tsuruga

Satoshi Sakai

Minoru Danno

Hideo Yamakoshi

Yoshiaki Takeuchi

Saneyuki Goya

Kenji Muta

Kengo Yamaguchi

Tatsuyuki Nishimiya

Hiroshi Futami

Shizuma Kuribayashi

Nobuki Oka

Noriko Yamazaki

Shinsaku Dobashi

Takehiko Itou

Akira Dohi

A method for evaluating a structure is disclosed, the structure including a base material containing at least one kind of metal selected from the group consisting of hydrogen storage metals and hydrogen storage alloys, an intermediate layer provided on the base material and stacked alternately with a first layer containing low work function substances relatively lower in work function than the metal and a second layer containing the metal, and a surface layer provided on the intermediate layer and containing the metal, wherein the method includes measuring a change in polarization between incident light and reflected light by irradiating the surface layer with light, while holding the structure at a predetermined temperature, and comparing a measurement value of the change in polarization with a threshold of a change in polarization of a structure prepared in advance and evaluating a soundness of the structure based on comparison results.

Method for evaluating structure used for nuclide transmutation reaction, evaluation device, structure manufacturing device provided with same, and nuclide transmutation system

A photovoltaic device that exhibits increased open-circuit voltage and an improved fill factor due to an improvement in the contact properties between the n-layer and a back-side transparent electrode layer or intermediate contact layer, and a process for producing the photovoltaic device. The photovoltaic device comprises a photovoltaic layer having a p-layer, an i-layer and an n-layer stacked on top of a substrate, wherein the n-layer comprises a nitrogen-containing n-layer and an interface treatment layer formed on the opposite surface of the nitrogen-containing n-layer to the substrate, the nitrogen-containing n-layer comprises nitrogen atoms at an atomic concentration of not less than 1% and not more than 20%, and has a crystallization ratio of not less than 0 but less than 3, and the interface treatment layer has a crystallization ratio of not less than 1 and not more than 6.

Photovoltaic device and process for producing photovoltaic device

Provided is a photoelectric conversion device in which the conductivity after hydrogen-plasma exposure is set within an appropriate range, thereby suppressing the leakage current and improving the conversion efficiency. A photoelectric conversion device includes, on a substrate, a photoelectric conversion layer having at least two power generation cell layers, and an intermediate contact layer provided between the power generation cell layers. The intermediate contact layer mainly contains a compound represented by ZnMgO (0.096&#x2266;x&#x2266;0.183).

Photoelectric conversion device

An optical system includes a fluoride compound and has surfaces facing and exposed to plasma installed in an optical equipment which has an inner zone where the plasma exists. A 2 nm-20 nm protective film of a highly plasma-resistant material is formed on the surface of the fluoride compound that is exposed to the plasma.

Optical properties restoration apparatus, the restoration method, and an optical system used in the apparatus

An optical system has fluoride compounds provided in an environment exposed by vacuum ultraviolet light or plasma light, which has higher photon energy than an absorption wavelength of a base stock of the optical system. 1-layer of a protective film of SiOor metal oxides having a film thickness of 2-20 nm is formed at least on the light irradiation side (inner side) of the optical system to prevent the stripping of the fluorine atoms from the surface of the optical system. In addition, the protective film is a 1-layer film selected from one of SiO, MgO, TiO, or ZrO.

The objectives of the present invention are to prevent or inhibit the deterioration effects such as light transmission, diffraction, reflection, spectrum generation, and interference, and these combinations, and by so doing, decrease the frequency of maintenance operations such as window replacement and to reduce the costs for such operations. This invention is characterized by steps of creating a near vacuum zone with a presence of active energy to excite an oxidation reaction of carbon wherein the near vacuum zone faces the lighting surfaces of the optical system; generating negative ions or radicals in the near vacuum zone such as unstable chemical seeds containing oxygen atoms, such as OH radicals, OH ions, ozone, Oions, O-radicals; and removing or reducing the accumulated carbon which deposits on the lighting surface, by reacting the deposited carbon with the negative ions or radicals. More specifically, the method according to this invention is characterized by the step of supplying active energy while supplying a flow of gases containing oxygen atoms such as water gas or oxidizing gas (for example, water vapor, oxygen, hydrogen peroxide, ozone or mixtures of said gases with inactive gases (including air)) into the near vacuum zone, thereby removing or reducing the accumulated carbon which deposits on the lighting surface by exciting the oxidation reaction of the accumulated carbon with the supplied active energy.

Optical properties apparatus, the restoration method, and an optical system used in the apparatus

An optical properties restoration apparatus improves reliability and longevity of optical properties of an optical system, lying upon a vacuum boundary, by preventing, suppressing, or improving degradation of optical properties. The apparatus includes creating the near vacuum zone to excite an oxidation reaction of carbon, generating a flow of an oxygen atom-containing gas such as water gas or oxide gas in the near vacuum zone, and supplying active energy in the near vacuum zone to cause a carbon oxidation reaction between the oxygen atom-containing gas and the carbon. The near vacuum zone faces the lighting surfaces of the optical system and a lower limit value for a partial pressure of the gases containing oxygen atoms that is supplied to the near vacuum zone is set to a level over a speed of the carbon buildup that deposits on the lighting surfaces of the optical system.

The objectives of the present invention are to prevent or inhibit the deterioration of optical systems that determine the longevity of an optical apparatus which delivers effects such as light transmission, diffraction, reflection, spectrum generation, and interference, and these combinations, and by so doing, decrease the frequency of maintenance operations such as window replacement and to reduce the costs for such operations. This invention is characterized by steps of creating a near vacuum zone with a presence of active energy to excite an oxidation reaction of carbon wherein the near vacuum zone faces the lighting surfaces of the optical system; generating negative ions or radicals in the near vacuum zone such as unstable chemical seeds containing oxygen atoms, such as OH radicals, OHions, ozone, Oions, O-radicals; and removing or reducing the accumulated carbon which deposits on the lighting surface, by reacting the deposited carbon with the negative ions or radicals. More specifically, the method according to this invention is characterized by the step of supplying active energy while supplying a flow of gases containing oxygen atoms such as water gas or oxidizing gas (for example, water vapor, oxygen, hydrogen peroxide, ozone or mixtures of said gases with inactive gases (including air)) into the near vacuum zone, thereby removing or reducing the accumulated carbon which deposits on the lighting surface by exciting the oxidation reaction of the accumulated carbon with the supplied active energy.

A vacuum ultraviolet lamp ionizes a chemical substance contained in exhaust gas Gs. The chemical substance ionized is trapped in an ion trapping apparatus in which a radio frequency electric field is formed. Energy is applied to an ion group in the ion trapping apparatus with a SWIFT waveform comprising a frequency component excluding a frequency corresponding to an orbital resonance frequency of ions of the chemical substance to remove an impurity. Energy is then applied to the ion group with a TICKLE waveform having a frequency component corresponding to the orbital resonance frequency of the ions of the chemical substance to fragmentate the ions of the chemical substance. A mass of the fragment is then measured with a mass spectrometer to identify the chemical substance.

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Yokohama, Japan

Shigenori Tsuruga