There is disclosed a protected item including an item that needs protection and a protective coating having a hardness of at least about 8 on the Mohs scale. The protected item includes a light transmission in part or all of the visible wavelength of at least about 60% and a light reflection in the visible wavelength of about 4% or less.

To provide a sputtering apparatus capable of forming a semiconductor film in which impurities such as hydrogen or water are reduced. The sputtering apparatus is capable of forming a semiconductor film and includes a deposition chamber, a gas supply device connected to the deposition chamber, a gas refining device connected to the gas supply device, a vacuum pump for evacuating the deposition chamber, a target disposed in the deposition chamber, and a cathode disposed to face the target. The gas supply device is configured to supply at least one of an argon gas, an oxygen gas, and a nitrogen gas. The partial pressure of hydrogen molecules is lower than or equal to 0.01 Pa and the partial pressure of water molecules is lower than or equal to 0.0001 Pa in the deposition chamber.

To provide a crystalline oxide semiconductor film. By collision of ions with a target including a crystalline In—Ga—Zn oxide, a flat-plate-like In—Ga—Zn oxide is separated. In the flat-plate-like In—Ga—Zn oxide, a first layer including a gallium atom, a zinc atom, and an oxygen atom, a second layer including a zinc atom and an oxygen atom, a third layer including an indium atom and an oxygen atom, and a fourth layer including a gallium atom, a zinc atom, and an oxygen atom are stacked in this order. After the flat-plate-like In—Ga—Zn oxide is deposited over a substrate while maintaining the crystallinity, the second layer is gasified and exhausted.

A thin film transistor and a manufacturing method thereof, a display substrate and a display device are provided. The method of manufacturing the thin film transistor comprises forming an active layer (4) having characteristics of crystal orientation of C-axis on a substrate (1) by using indium gallium zinc oxide (InGaO.sub.3(ZnO).sub.m), where m≧2. The active layer fabricated with InGaO.sub.3(ZnO).sub.m has a good electron mobility, and the quality of the fabricated active layer is improved.

A window film is disclosed. The window film includes: a flexible transparent base material; a first metal target material film, disposed on the surface of the flexible transparent base material; a first high refractive index compound film, disposed on the surface of the first metal target material film; a first metal oxide film, disposed on the surface of the first high refractive index compound film; a first silver-containing metal film, disposed on the surface of the first metal oxide film; a second metal target material film, disposed on the surface of the first silver-containing metal film; and a second high refractive index compound film, disposed on the surface of the second metal target material film. The window film has better adherence, and is less likely to peel off. In addition, the window film also has better oxidation resistance, and is less likely to be oxidized. Furthermore, the window film also has a better optical effect and heat insulation effect.

A film formation apparatus includes a chamber that is a sealed container in which a target formed of a film formation material is placed, and into which the workpiece is carried, a gas discharging unit discharging a gas in the sealed container for a predetermined time period after the workpiece is carried into the chamber to obtain a base pressure, and a sputter gas introducing unit introducing a sputter gas containing oxygen to the interior of the chamber having undergone the discharging and becoming the base pressure. The sputter gas introducing unit decreases an oxygen partial pressure in the sputter gas to be introduced in the chamber in accordance with an increase in the base pressure due to an increase of the film formation material sticking to the interior of the chamber.

A coated metallic substrate is provided, including, at least; one layer of oxides, such layer being directly topped by an intermediate coating layer comprising Fe, Ni, Cr and Ti wherein the amount of Ti is above or equal to 5 wt. % and wherein the following equation is satisfied: 8 wt. %<Cr+Ti<40 wt. %, the balance being Fe and Ni, such intermediate coating layer being directly topped by a coating layer being an anticorrosion metallic coating.

An interference filter includes a layers stack comprising a plurality of layers of at least: layers of amorphous hydrogenated silicon with added nitrogen (a-Si:H,N) and layers of one or more dielectric materials, such as SiO.sub.2, SiO.sub.x, SiO.sub.xN.sub.y, a dielectric material with a higher refractive index in the range 1.9 to 2.7 inclusive, or so forth. The interference filter is designed to have a passband center wavelength in the range 750-1000 nm inclusive. Added nitrogen in the a-Si:H,N layers provides improved transmission in the passband without a large decrease in refractive index observed in a-Si:H with comparable transmission. Layers of a dielectric material with a higher refractive index in the range 1.9 to 2.7 inclusive provide a smaller angle shift compared with a similar interference filter using SiO.sub.2 as the low index layers.

A method for forming a low-resistivity tantalum thin film having the following steps: depositing a tantalum layer on a substrate, the tantalum of the layer having a β phase, treating the deposited tantalum layer by exposure to a radio frequency hydrogen plasma, such that the layer has tantalum in a mixed β-α phase, at least partially desorbing the hydrogen by carrying out at least one of the following steps: exposure to a radio frequency inert gas plasma, and thermal annealing. The treatment step being configured such that the tantalum layer is subjected to temperatures of less than or equal to 300° C.

To provide a sputtering apparatus capable of forming a semiconductor film in which impurities such as hydrogen or water are reduced. The sputtering apparatus is capable of forming a semiconductor film and includes a deposition chamber, a gas supply device connected to the deposition chamber, a gas refining device connected to the gas supply device, a vacuum pump for evacuating the deposition chamber, a target disposed in the deposition chamber, and a cathode disposed to face the target. The gas supply device is configured to supply at least one of an argon gas, an oxygen gas, and a nitrogen gas. The partial pressure of hydrogen molecules is lower than or equal to 0.01 Pa and the partial pressure of water molecules is lower than or equal to 0.0001 Pa in the deposition chamber.