An object of the present invention is to provide a sputtering target that can suppress a generation amount of fine nodules which lead to an increase in substrate particles during sputtering, and a method for producing the same. A ceramic sputtering target, the sputtering target having a surface roughness Ra on a sputtering surface of 0.5 μm or less and an Svk value measured with a laser microscope on the sputtering surface of 1.1 μm or less.

The present application provides a fabric coloring method and a colored fabric, where the fabric coloring method includes: performing radiation drying on a base cloth; sequentially forming an adhesive layer and at least one color-generating layer on a surface of the base cloth after the radiation drying by vacuum deposition, where the adhesive layer contains at least one of Ti, Cr, Si and Ni, and a thickness of the adhesive layer ranges from 1 nm to 2000 nm; the color-generating layer contains at least one of Al, Ti, Cu, Fe, Mo, Zn, Ag, Au, and Mg, and the total thickness of the color-generating layer ranges from 1 nm to 4000 nm. The fabric coloring method can not only produce rich colors and make the colored fabric have good color fastness, but also reduce the sensitivity of color of the colored fabric to thickness of the film, thus improving the industrial operability.

Provided is a Low-E glass plate protection method capable of preventing or inhibiting Low-E layer alteration. The protection method includes a step of applying a protective sheet to a surface of a Low-E glass plate having a Low-E layer comprising a zinc component. Here, the protective sheet has a PSA layer. The Low-E layer comprises a zinc component. The PSA layer includes ammonia and an acid or acid salt capable of forming a counterion to an ammonium ion.

Provided are a conductive laminate capable of achieving both high transmittance and low electric resistance, and various optical devices equipped with the same. A conductive laminate (1) includes a first transparent material layer (3), a metal layer (4) mainly composed of silver, and a second transparent material layer (5) laminated on at least one surface of a transparent substrate (2) in this order from the side of the transparent substrate (2), wherein the first transparent material layer (3) is composed of a zinc-free metal oxide, the second transparent material layer (5) is composed of a zinc-containing metal oxide, and the metal layer (4) has a thickness of 7 nm or more.

A heater member (1a) includes a support (10), a heating element (20), and at least one pair of power supply electrodes (30). The support (10) is made of an organic polymer and has a sheet shape. The heating element (20) is made of a polycrystalline material containing indium oxide as a main component and in contact with one principal surface of the support (10). The power supply electrodes (30) are in contact with one principal surface of the heating element (20). The heating element (20) has a sheet resistance in the range from 10 to 150 Ω/sq. The heating element (20) has a thickness of more than 20 nm and not more than 200 nm. The internal stress of the heating element (20) as measured by an X-ray stress measurement method is 500 MPa or less.

An inorganic solid-state electrochromic module containing an inorganic transparent conductive film, including a transparent substrate and a first transparent conductive layer, a first transparent metal layer, a first transparent protective layer, an inorganic electrochromic layer, an inorganic ion conductive layer, an inorganic ion storage layer, a second transparent metal layer, a second transparent protective layer, a second transparent conductive layer, a encapsulating film and a transparent front plate successively formed on the transparent substrate.

An oxide sintered body may include zinc, magnesium, a positive trivalent or positive tetravalent metal element X, and oxygen as constituent elements. The atomic ratio of the metal element X to the sum of the zinc, the magnesium, and the metal element X [X/(Zn+Mg+X)] may be 0.0001 or more and 0.6 or less. The atomic ratio of the magnesium to the sum of the zinc and the magnesium [Mg/(Zn+Mg)] may be 0.25 or more and 0.8 or less.

The present invention relates to an oxide sintered material that can be used suitably as a sputtering target for forming an oxide semiconductor film using a sputtering method, a method of producing the oxide sintered material, a sputtering target including the oxide sintered material, and a method of producing a semiconductor device 10 including an oxide semiconductor film 14 formed using the oxide sintered material.

Prior electrochromic devices frequently suffer from high levels of defectivity. The defects may be manifest as pin holes or spots where the electrochromic transition is impaired. This is unacceptable for many applications such as electrochromic architectural glass. Improved electrochromic devices with low defectivity can be fabricated by depositing certain layered components of the electrochromic device in a single integrated deposition system. While these layers are being deposited and/or treated on a substrate, for example a glass window, the substrate never leaves a controlled ambient environment, for example a low pressure controlled atmosphere having very low levels of particles. These layers may be deposited using physical vapor deposition.

The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for ion milling, and more particularly relates to methods and apparatus for smoothing a surface using ion milling.