A gas distribution device has a plurality of gas inlet regions that are arranged above each other and can be adjusted by switching on or off respective valves. The gas inlet regions can also be adjusted by switching over one or more feed conduits through which process gases can be fed into respective gas distribution volumes of gas outlet zones. The respective gas distribution volumes are arranged above each other at several levels. Only one uniform process gas can exit into a process chamber through each of the gas inlet regions.

A cutting tool includes a substrate and a coating film, wherein the coating film has a first layer formed from a plurality of hard grains, the hard grains are made of TiSiCN having a cubic crystal structure, the hard grains have a lamellar structure in which a layer having a relatively high silicon concentration and a layer having a relatively low silicon concentration are alternately stacked, and a maximum value of percentage of number A.sub.Si of silicon atoms to a sum of the number A.sub.Si of silicon atoms and number A.sub.Ti of titanium atoms in a grain boundary region between the hard grains, {A.sub.Si/(A.sub.Si+A.sub.Ti)}×100, is larger than an average value of percentage of number B.sub.Si of silicon atoms to a sum of the number B.sub.Si of silicon atoms and number B.sub.Ti of titanium atoms in the first layer, {B.sub.Si/(B.sub.Si+B.sub.Ti)}×100.

A system and method are described for depositing a material onto a receiving surface, where the material is formed by use of a plasma to modify a source material in-transit to the receiving surface. The system comprises a microwave generator electronics stage. The system further includes a microwave applicator stage including a cavity resonator structure. The cavity resonator structure includes an outer conductor, an inner conductor, and a resonator cavity interposed between the outer conductor and the inner conductor. The system also includes a multi-component flow assembly including a laminar flow nozzle providing a shield gas, a zonal flow nozzle providing a functional process gas, and a source material flow nozzle configured to deliver the source material. The source material flow nozzle and zonal flow nozzle facilitate a reaction between the source material and the functional process gas within a plasma region.

A coated cutting tool includes a substrate and a hard film on coated on the substrate. The hard film contains a complex nitride of Al and Cr. The hard film includes aggregates of columnar grains grown on the substrate along the thickness of the film. The nitride has an Al content of 60 atom % or more, a Cr content of 10 atom % or more, and a total content of Al and Cr of 90 atom % or more relative to the total amount of metal and metalloid elements. The complex nitride has the highest peak intensity assigned to crystal plane (311) of an fcc structure in X-ray diffractometry. In the hard film, the ratio of an X-ray diffraction intensity of plane (311) to the intensities of the other planes is 1.30 or more. A method and a system are also provided for manufacturing the coated cutting tool by chemical vapor deposition.

An oxide film forming device includes: a chamber in which a target workpiece is removably placed; a gas supply unit arranged at a position opposed to a film formation surface of the target workpiece placed in the chamber; and a gas discharge unit arranged to discharge a gas inside the chamber by suction to the outside of the chamber. The gas supply unit has a raw material gas supply nozzle, an ozone gas supply nozzle and an unsaturated hydrocarbon gas supply nozzle with supply ports thereof opposed to the film formation surface of the target workpiece at a predetermined distance away from the film formation surface. A raw material gas, an ozone gas and an unsaturated hydrocarbon gas supplied from the respective supply nozzles are mixed in a space between the supply ports and the film formation surface.

A gas inlet element for a CVD reactor includes a cylindrical main body, which together with an outer wall, forms a gas outlet face. The outer wall surrounds at least one gas distribution chamber. A plurality of gas outlet openings originating in the gas distribution chamber open out into the gas outlet face. A cooling device includes a plurality of cooling channels running adjacently but separately in the outer wall, and the gas outlet openings extend between the cooling channels.

A wafer fabricating system includes a wafer chuck, a gas inlet port, a fluid inlet port, first and second arc-shaped channels, a gas source, and a fluid containing source. The wafer chuck has a top surface, and orifices are formed on the top surface. The gas inlet port is formed in the wafer chuck and located underneath a fan-shaped sector of the top surface, wherein the gas inlet port is fluidly communicated with the orifices. The fluid inlet port is formed in the wafer chuck. The first and second arc-shaped channels are fluidly communicated with the fluid inlet port and located underneath the fan-shaped sector of the top surface and located at opposite sides of the gas inlet port from a top view. The gas source fluidly is connected to the gas inlet port. The fluid containing source fluidly is connected to the fluid inlet port.

A CNT production apparatus 1 provided by the present invention includes a cylindrical chamber 10 and a control valve 60 provided to a gas discharge pipe 50. The chamber 10 includes a reaction zone provided in a partial range of the chamber 10 in the direction of the cylinder axis, a deposition zone 22 which is provided downstream of the reaction zone 20, and a deposition state detector 40 that detects a physical property value indicating a deposition state of carbon nanotubes in the deposition zone 22. The apparatus is configured to close the control valve 60 and deposit carbon nanotubes in the deposition zone 22 when the physical property value detected by the deposition state detector 40 is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value, and configured to open the control valve 60 and recover the carbon nanotubes deposited in the deposition zone 22 when the physical property value exceeds the predetermined threshold value.

A method for processing semiconductor wafer is provided. The method includes loading a semiconductor wafer on a top surface of a wafer chuck. The method also includes supplying a gaseous material between the semiconductor wafer and the top surface of the wafer chuck through a first gas inlet port and a second gas inlet port located underneath a fan-shaped sector of the top surface. The method further includes supplying a fluid medium to a fluid inlet port of the wafer chuck and guiding the fluid medium from the fluid inlet port to flow through a number of arc-shaped channels located underneath the fan-shaped sector of the top surface. In addition, the method includes supplying a plasma gas over the semiconductor wafer.

Provided are a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method capable of achieving uniform trimming throughout an entire surface of a substrate. The substrate processing apparatus includes a gas channel including a center gas inlet and an additional gas inlet spaced apart from the center gas inlet, and a shower plate including a plurality of holes connected to the center gas inlet and the additional gas inlet, wherein a gas flow channel is formed having a clearance defined by a lower surface of the gas channel and an upper surface of the shower plate, the lower surface and the upper surface being substantially parallel.