Steam generator

A steam generator comprising a container having an upper vaporization chamber and a lower liquid storage chamber, means for partitioning the upper and lower chambers from each other, said vaporization chamber having a gas charge inlet port enabling a gas to be charged into said vaporization chamber and a discharge port for discharging steam generated within said vaporization chamber;

• a suck-up member disposed to extend into the upper and lower chambers within said container so that one end portion of said suck-up member is immersed in a liquid contained in said lower storage chamber while the other end portion extends into the upper chamber;
• and heating unit means provided at said other end portion of the suck-up member for heating and vaporizing the liquid absorbed by the suck-up member at the one end portion when it reaches the other end portion of said suck-up member, said heating unit means being in the form of a wire or band and a metal oxide or metallic double oxide layer formed on said wire or band to thereby increase the surface area of the heating unit means in contact with the liquid and improve thermal transmission to vaporize the liquid, said vaporized liquid being entrained by a gas passed through said gas charge port for discharge through said discharge port.