Production technique of thin films is described as an application of a sheet shaped electron cyclotron resonance heating plasma supplemented with a radio frequency plasma source for controlling the plasma parameters. The deposition rate of thin films onto the substrate can be varied from 6 to 102 nm/min depending on the experimental conditions under control. The thin film is made uniformly in space over a wide range of plasma parameters. The present plasma source also has typical characteristics of sharp density and temperature gradient at the edge of the sheet plasma to make a uniform, low temperature (Te⩽1 eV) plasma in the outer peripheral region. The present experimental technique could be applicable to the plasma source for material processing such as thin film formation, semiconductor devices such as solar batteries or flat panel display, and so on.
Developing summer thunderclouds (mesoscale convective systems: MCSs) were observed using Doppler radar from the 23rd to the 30th of August, 1997. MCSs were generated around Mt. Akagi and Mt. Chichibu in the northern Kanto area. There were also a few MCSs around Mt. Haruna in the northern Kanto area. Most MCSs had a horizontal scale of 70-90km and a lifetime of four-five hours, and needed about one or two hours to reach MCSs. During the observation, the largest MCS occurred on August 29th, 1997. The wind shear line between the mountain wind from the northwest and the sea breeze from the southeast near the surface triggered MCS generation. Negative cloud to ground (CG) flashes occurred mainly in the strong echo area (above 32 dBZ) around the plains in this case. Many positive CG flashes in MCSs occurred around the weak echo area or the no echo area, and the outside area of the gust front. The first positive CG flash was associated with the generation of the divergence (downdraft). On the other hand, when the thunderclouds passed near a high mountain, both positive and negative CG flashes were concentrated on the high mountain side. After they left high mountain region; the negative CG flashes were concentrated exclusively in the strong echo area.
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