TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Composition: The transparent electroconductive film is a transparent electroconductive film having indium oxide, tin oxide, zinc oxide, fluorine dope tin oxide, aluminum dope zinc oxide, antimony dope tin oxide, indium tin oxide or amorphous-type lanthanum oxide-zinc oxide as main component. The transparent electroconductive film formed is an indium tin oxide film, The electrically conductive film has carbon content (number of atoms) concentration of 0-5.Preferred Properties: The peak intensity ratio (hydrogen/metal) of hydrogen ion and the metallic element ion derived from the metal of a main metal oxide at the time of measuring by dynamic secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) is preferably 3-15. At least one of the electrodes is covered with dielectric which is an inorganic substance with dielectric constant of 6-45. The surface roughness (Rmax) of the electrode is 10 microns or less.Preferred Reactive Gas: At least one type of reactive gas is an organometallic compound of formula (I) or (II) and contains oxidizing gas, water or reducing agent.M(OR3)n2 (II)M = lanthanum, tin or zinc;R1 and R2 = optionally substituted alkyl group, aryl or alkoxyl group;R = H or a substituent, R optionally couples with R1 and R2, to form a ring;R3 = alkyl or aryl group optionally having a substituent; andn1 and n2 = integer.The inert gas is argon or helium.Preferred Method: The electroconductive film is formed on the base material with surface temperature of 300 degrees C or less of base material and postheat treatment is performed. Heat processing is performed in air atmosphere, reducing environment, oxidizing atmosphere, vacuum atmosphere or inert-gas atmosphere. Heat processing is carried out at 50-300 degrees C.Preferred Base Material: The base material is a transparent resin film. The transparent resin is film substrate for touch panels, liquid crystal device plastic substrate, organic electroluminescent device plastic substrate, electromagnetic shielding film for plasma display panels and film for electronic paper. The transparent electroconductive film of the article is patterned.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ELECTRICAL POWER AND ENERGY - Preferred Properties: An electric field that is applied between the electrodes in the formation of transparent electroconductive film is a high frequency electric field with frequency of 100 kHz or more, preferably 800 kHz or more. Electric power of more than 1 W/cm2, preferably less than 20 W/cm2 is supplied, and is made to discharge. The high frequency electric field is preferably electric field of continuous sine wave. EXAMPLE - A glass substrate with size of 50 x 50 x 1 mm, on which a silica film with film thickness of 50 nm, was prepared. An electrode was mounted on the glass substrate. A plasma discharge device was placed between the electrodes. As an earth electrode (ground contact), a stainless steel plate coated with thermally sprayed film of alumina of high density and adhesion was used. Solution comprising tetramethoxysilane and ethyl acetate was applied, dried and hardened by ultraviolet radiation. The covered dielectric surface was polished and made smooth. The surface roughness of the electrode that was processed was 5 microns. As an application electrode, an electrode covered with the dielectric under the same conditions was used as an earth electrode with respect to pure titanium pipe and a discharge space was formed between the electrodes. 5 W/cm2 electric power with frequency of 13.56 MHz was supplied, and mixed gas containing helium as inert gas (98.74 volume%), water (0.01 volume%, in the form of gas), indium acetyl acetonato (1.2 volume%) and dibutyl tin diacetate (0.05 volume%) was passed between the electrodes and set as plasma state. Atmospheric pressure plasma processing of the glass substrate was carried out to obtain tin-doped indium oxide film on the glass substrate. The obtained film was found to have permeability of 90%, resistivity of 2 x 10 to the power of 4 OMEGA.cm, peak intensity ratio of hydrogen ion and metallic element ion derived from the main metal oxide of 2.3, and improved etching rate.