Method for production of transmission-enhancing and/or reflection-reducing optical coatings

• US 20060003108A1
• Filed: 04/20/2005
• Published: 01/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Innovent EV Technologieentwicklung
• Original Assignee: Innovent EV Technologieentwicklung
• Inventors: Gruenler, Bernd, Richter, Thomas, Zobel, Bernhard
• Application Number:
  US11/111,263
• Publication Number:
  US 20060003108A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 427/446
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/002 for flat glass, e.g. float glass
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/007 containing a dispersed phase, e.g. particles, fibres or flakes, in a continuous phase
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/009 Mixtures of organic and inorganic materials, e.g. ormosils and ormocers
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/213 SiO2
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/425 consisting of a porous layer
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/152 by cvd
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/365 Coating different sides of a glass substrate
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/401 containing silicon
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/453 passing the reaction gases through burners or torches, e.g. atmospheric pressure CVD C23C16/513 takes precedence; for flame or plasma spraying of coating material in the molten state C23C4/00

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing transmission-enhancing and/or reflection-reducing coatings against or on substrates by flame coating. It is based on the object of suggesting a production method for anti-reflective coatings that works in an environmentally friendly manner with the least possible complexity in terms of work time and energy. It is comprised in that a silicon-containing precursor is thermally or hydrolytically decomposed by a hydrocarbon and/or hydrogen flame using an oxidant and is applied to the substrate directly from the gas phase as an SiO_x(OH)_(4-2x) coating, wherein 0<x≦2, and the SiO_x(OH)_(4-2x) coating has a residual carbon content of 0 to 10%.

Claims

1. Method for producing transmission-enhancing and/or reflection-reducing optical coatings on substrates by flame coating, comprising:

thermally and/or hydrolytically decomposing a silicon-containing precursor with a flame created by a fuel comprising at least a hydrocarbon and/or hydrogen and by an oxidant; and

applying said precursor to said substrate directly from the gas phase as an SiO_x(OH)_(4-2x) coating, wherein

0<

x≦

2,

the SiO_x(OH)_(4-2x) coating has a residual carbon content of 0 to 10%, and

at least one burner is utilized to produce said coating.

2. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein to produce said coating, said substrate is introduced into said flame.

3. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein prior to and/or during production of said coating, said substrate is heated to 20 to 300°

C.

4. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said coating has a thickness of 5 to 200 nm.

5. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said precursor comprises an organic silicon compound.

6. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said precursor comprises an inorganic silicon compound.

7. Method in accordance with claim 1 or 4 or 19, wherein for a precursor with one Si atom per molecule, a precursor concentration of 0.05 to 5 vol %/L fuel gas is used, said precursor concentration being proportionately less for a precursor having more than one Si atom per molecule.

8. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said fuel comprises butane or propane or a mixture thereof.

9. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said fuel comprises natural gas.

10. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said oxidant comprises air, oxygen, or a mixture thereof.

11. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the distance between said burner and said substrate is set to 3 to 200 mm.

12. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein to produce said coating, said burner and/or said substrate are moved relative to one another once or a plurality of times.

13. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein a said burner has a thermal output of 0.5 to 10 kW/10 cm², at a flame area.

14. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said at least one burner comprises a plurality of burners.

15. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said coatings produced have a roughness corresponding to an RMS of 3 to 50 nm.

16. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said substrate comprises at least one of glass, ceramic, plastic, or metal.

17. Method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said burner and/or said substrate move relative to one another such that said relative movement is between 10 and 20000 mm/s.

18. Method in accordance with claim 3, wherein said substrate is heated to 60 to 120°

C.

19. Method in accordance with claim 4, wherein said coating thickness is from 20 to 100 nm.

20. Method in accordance with claim 7, wherein said precursor concentration is from 0.1 to 1.0 vol %/L fuel gas for a precursor with one Si atom per molecule, said precursor concentration being proportionately less for a precursor having more than one Si atom per molecule.

21. Method in accordance with claim 11, wherein the distance between said burner and said substrate is set to 10 to 60 mm.

22. Method in accordance with claim 13, wherein said burner has a thermal output of 6 kW/10 cm² at said flame area.

23. Method in accordance with claim 15, wherein said coatings produced have a roughness corresponding to an RMS of 10 to 25 nm.

24. Method in accordance with claim 6, wherein said inorganic silicon compound comprises SiCl₄.