The present disclosure provides a method for fabricating an anti-reflective layer on a quartz surface by using a metal-induced self-masking etching technique, comprising: performing reactive ion etching to a metal material and a quartz substrate by using a mixed gas containing a fluorine-based gas, wherein metal atoms and/or ions of the metal material are sputtered to a surface of the quartz substrate, to form a non-volatile metal fluoride on the surface of the quartz substrate; forming a micromask by a product of etching generated by reactive ion etching gathering around the non-volatile metal fluoride; and etching the micromask and the quartz substrate simultaneously, to form an anti-reflective layer having a sub-wavelength structure.

A transparent substrate provided with a multilayer film includes: a transparent substrate having two main surfaces; and a multilayer film obtained by laminating a metal oxide layer and a silicon oxide layer in order on at least one of the main surfaces of the transparent substrate. SiO.sub.x in at least one silicon oxide layer in the multilayer film satisfies a relationship 1.55≤x<2.00. The multilayer film has a luminous transmittance of 20% to 89% and a resistance value of 10.sup.4 Ω/sq or higher. x in SiO.sub.x is a value determined by depth direction composition analysis in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) using argon ion sputtering. When the silicon oxide layer is an outermost layer, the value of x is determined excluding a point where a sputtering time is 0 minute.

A method of forming an optical device is provided. The method includes disposing an optical device substrate on a substrate support in a process volume of a process chamber, the optical device substrate having a first surface; and forming a first optical layer on the first surface of the optical device substrate during a first time period when the optical device substrate is on the substrate support, wherein the first optical layer comprises one or more metals in a metal-containing oxide, a metal-containing nitride, or a metal-containing oxynitride, and the first optical layer is formed without an RF-generated plasma over the optical device substrate; and forming a second optical layer with an RF-generated plasma over the first optical layer during a second time period when the optical device substrate is on the substrate support.

Conventional electrochromic devices frequently suffer from poor reliability and poor performance. Improvements are made using entirely solid and inorganic materials. Electrochromic devices are fabricated by forming an ion conducting electronically-insulating interfacial region that serves as an IC layer. In some methods, the interfacial region is formed after formation of an electrochromic and a counter electrode layer. The interfacial region contains an ion conducting electronically-insulating material along with components of the electrochromic and/or the counter electrode layer. Materials and microstructure of the electrochromic devices provide improvements in performance and reliability over conventional devices. In various embodiments, a counter electrode is fabricated to include a base anodically coloring material and one or more additives.

The present invention provides a method for producing a porous base material having a pore with a surface modified, the method being unlikely to limit a material of the porous base material and being suitable for controlling characteristics of the porous base material by introducing a polymer chain into a surface of a pore of the porous base material while inhibiting a change in a structure of the porous base material itself. The production method of the present invention includes: forming a base layer having a polymerization initiating group in such a manner as to cover a surface of a pore of a porous base material; and allowing a monomer group to be in contact with the base layer and thereby polymerizing the monomer group by the polymerization initiating group.

A decorative member including: a color developing layer including a light reflective layer and a light absorbing layer provided on the light reflective layer; and a substrate provided on one surface of the color developing layer. The light absorbing layer includes a copper oxynitride (Cu.sub.aO.sub.bN.sub.c).

Reactive sputter deposition method and system are disclosed, in which a catalyst gas, such as water vapor, is used to increase the overall deposition rate substantially without compromising formation of a dielectric compound layer and its optical transmission. Addition to the sputtering or reactive gas of the catalyst gas can result in an increase of a deposition rate of the dielectric oxide film substantially without increasing an optical absorption of the film.

A reactive heat treatment apparatus is provided to treat a thin-film device. The reactive heat treatment apparatus includes a furnace pipe. The furnace pipe extends in a direction and has a first end and a second end. The furnace pipe further includes a high-temperature portion, a low-temperature portion, and a furnace door. The high-temperature portion is disposed close to the second end and configured to receive the thin-film device. The low-temperature portion is disposed close to the first end and provided with an airtight configuration. The furnace door is disposed close to the first end. An inner side wall of the low-temperature portion has a sunken portion. A height differential is formed between the sunken portion and an inner side wall of the high-temperature portion.

A window has an ion exchange substrate with a top surface. To improve robustness, the top surface has a polycrystalline aluminum oxide film formed from a plurality of crystals. At least 95% of the plurality of crystals in the aluminum oxide film has a largest dimension of no greater than about 10 nanometers. In addition, both the ion exchange substrate and aluminum oxide film are transparent or translucent.

Provided are a metal nitride material for a thermistor, which exhibits high reliability and high heat resistance and can be directly deposited on a film or the like without firing, a method for producing the metal nitride material for a thermistor, and a film type thermistor sensor. The metal nitride material for a thermistor consists of a metal nitride represented by the general formula: Ti.sub.xAl.sub.y(N.sub.1-wO.sub.w).sub.z (where 0.70≦y/(x+y)≦0.95, 0.45≦z≦0.55, 0<w≦0.35, and x+y+z=1), and the crystal structure thereof is a hexagonal wurtzite-type single phase.