In a gas dryer for use in a gas transmission line in which a bed of desiccant tablets is suspended in the flow of gas, making an aqueous solution of the desiccant salts from the moisture taken from the gas, the solution is inhibited from generating solids and precipitates in a sump area by conducting the heat of hydration from the bed area to the sump area. A pattern forming method for forming a pattern on a substrate in a deposition chamber by a sputtering method is provided. In one embodiment, the first and second sensors are magnetic sensors for contactlessly sensing parameters of the active electrode. Cost constraints and costs are minimized for an overall data load.