Provided are a method and system for increasing etch rate and etch selectivity of a masking layer on a substrate in an etch treatment system, the etch treatment system configured for single substrate processing. The method comprises placing the substrate into the etch processing chamber, the substrate containing the masking layer and a layer of silicon or silicon oxide, obtaining a supply of steam water vapor mixture at elevated pressure, obtaining a supply of treatment liquid for selectively etching the masking layer over the silicon or silicon oxide at a selectivity ratio, combining the treatment liquid and the steam water vapor mixture, and injecting the combined treatment liquid and the steam water vapor mixture into the etch processing chamber. The flow of the combined treatment liquid and the steam water vapor mixture is controlled to maintain a target etch rate and a target etch selectivity ratio of the masking layer to the layer of silicon or silicon oxide.

Provided is a glass for a magnetic recording medium substrate, which is an amorphous glass, in which an SiO.sub.2 content is in a range of 54 mol % or more and 62 mol % or less, an MgO content is in a range of 15 mol % or more and 28 mol % or less, an Li.sub.2O content is in a range of 0.2 mol % or more, and an Na.sub.2O content is in a range of 5 mol % or less.

A method for introducing a recess into a substrate, and/or for reducing a material, includes spatially beam shaping a focus of a laser beam along a beam axis, whereby defects are produced in the substrate along the beam axis without there being any material removal. One or more of the defects forms a modification in the substrate, so that subsequently the recess and/or the material thickness reduction is produced by action of an etching medium by an anisotropic material removal. An additional modification is introduced into the substrate along an additional beam axis that is parallel to and spaced from the beam axis, the additional modification having an extent between a first outer surface of the substrate and a position within the substrate that is at a distance from a second, opposite outer surface of the substrate.

A method for introducing a recess into a substrate, and/or for reducing a material, includes spatially beam shaping a focus of a laser beam along a beam axis, whereby defects are produced in the substrate along the beam axis without there being any material removal. One or more of the defects forms a modification in the substrate, so that subsequently the recess and/or the material thickness reduction is produced by action of an etching medium by an anisotropic material removal. An additional modification is introduced into the substrate along an additional beam axis that is parallel to and spaced from the beam axis, the additional modification having an extent between a first outer surface of the substrate and a position within the substrate that is at a distance from a second, opposite outer surface of the substrate.

A method for making a conductive film includes the steps of: depositing a conductive metal film on a substrate to form a metal-coated substrate; depositing a fiber pattern on the conductive metal film of the metal-coated substrate to form a masked substrate, the fiber pattern defining protected metal and exposed metal of the conductive metal film; removing the exposed metal from the conductive metal film of the masked substrate to form a protected conductive film; and removing the fiber pattern from the protected conductive film to expose the protected metal and provide a metal pattern on the substrate. An annealing step con be employed after depositing the fiber pattern to increase the surface area of contact between the fiber pattern and the conductive metal film.

A method for forming a cutting tool includes masking a metal base with one or more masks, the one or more masks including at least one variable permeability mask, and chemically etching the masked metal base to form a blade of the cutting tool.

The present invention relates to xylanase variants. The present invention also relates to polynucleotides encoding the variants; nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides; and methods of using the variants.

A method for producing a glass substrate with through glass vias according to the present invention includes: irradiating a glass substrate (10) with a laser beam to form a modified portion; forming a first conductive portion (20a) on a first principal surface of the glass substrate (10), the first conductive portion (20a) being positioned in correspondence with the modified portion (12); and forming a through hole (14) in the glass substrate (10) after formation of the first conductive portion by etching at least the modified portion (12) using an etchant. This method allows easy handling of a glass substrate during formation of a conductive portion such as a circuit on the glass substrate, and is also capable of forming a through hole in the glass substrate relatively quickly while preventing damage to the conductive portion such as a circuit formed on the glass substrate.

Provided is a synthetic quartz glass substrate for use in a microfluidic device to which bonding by optical contact can be applied in manufacturing a microfluidic device, and which has high adhesion in a bonded interface and does not cause defects such as non-bonding and breakage of the substrate and a defect in which air bubbles are sandwiched at the bonded interface.

A synthetic quartz glass substrate for use in a microfluidic device, wherein a maximum value of a cyclic average power spectral density at a spatial frequency of 0.4 mm.sup.−1 or more and 100 mm.sup.−1 or less is 5.0×10.sup.15 nm.sup.4 or less, the maximum value being obtained by measuring any given region of 6.0 mm×6.0 mm on a surface of the synthetic quartz glass substrate with a white interferometer.

A method of forming a textured glass article comprises: submerging an aluminosilicate glass article in an etchant to an upper submerging depth from a surface of the etchant and at a tilting angle, wherein the aluminosilicate glass article comprises a first major surface and a second major surface opposite the first surface, wherein the tilting angle is a smallest angle between a normal to the first major surface and a vertical; holding the aluminosilicate glass article in the etchant for a holding time; and after the holding time, cycling the aluminosilicate glass article in the etchant between the upper submerging depth and a lower submerging depth deeper than the upper submerging depth for a cycling time.