METHOD FOR DEPOSITION OF AN ANTI-SCRATCH COATING

• US 20090017314A1
• Filed: 07/26/2006
• Published: 01/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Original Assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Inventors: Nadaud, Nicolas, Kharchenko, Andriy
• Application Number:
  US11/997,323
• Publication Number:
  US 20090017314A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/446
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/225 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/36 at least one coating being a metal
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3626 one layer at least containing a nitride, oxynitride, boronitride or carbonitride
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/366 Low-emissivity or solar control coatings
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3681 the multilayer coating being used in glazing, e.g. windows or windscreens
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/281 Nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/283 Borides, phosphides
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/78 Coatings specially designed to be durable, e.g. scratch-resistant
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/154 by sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/156 by magnetron sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/0647 Boron nitride
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/067 Borides
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/46 by ion beam produced by an external ion source

Abstract

Process for the vacuum deposition of at least one boron-based thin film on a substrate, characterized in that:

• • at least one sputtering species that is chemically inactive or active with respect to boron is chosen;
  • a collimated beam of ions comprising predominantly said sputtering species is generated using at least one linear ion source positioned within an installation of industrial size;
  • said beam is directed onto at least one boron-based target; and
  • at least one surface portion of said substrate facing said target is positioned in such a way that said material sputtered by the ion bombardment of the target or a material resulting from the reaction of said sputtered material with at least one of the sputtering species is deposited on said surface portion.

Claims

1. :

A process for the vacuum deposition of at least one boron-based thin film on a substrate, comprising;

at least one sputtering species that is chemically inactive or active with respect to boron is chosen;

a collimated beam of ions comprising predominantly said sputtering species is generated using at least one linear ion source positioned within an installation of industrial size;

said beam is directed onto at least one boron-based target; and

at least one surface portion of said substrate facing said target is positioned in such a way that a material sputtered by the ion bombardment of the target or a material resulting from a reaction of said sputtered material with at least one of the sputtering species is deposited on said surface portion.

2. :

The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein an operation of causing relative movement between the ion deposition source and the substrate is carried out.

3. :

The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the linear ion source generates a collimated ion beam with an energy between 0.2 and 10 keV.

4. :

The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein an operation for taking the pressure in the installation into a range between 10<sup>−

5</sup> and 8×

10<sup>−

3</sup> torr is carried out.

5. :

The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ion beam and the target have an angle α

of between 90° and

30°

between them.

6. :

The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the material to be sputtered using at least said linear ion deposition source is deposited, on two different surface portions of a substrate simultaneously or in succession.

7. :

The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the material sputtered using at least said linear ion deposition source is deposited on at least one bare surface portion of a substrate.

8. :

The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the material sputtered using at least said linear ion deposition source is deposited on at least one substrate portion at least partly coated with at least one other film.

9. :

The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein an additional species is introduced as a complement to said sputtering species, said additional species being chemically active with respect to said sputtered material, the additional species being obtained by an injection of gas incorporating said additional species near the substrate.

10. :

The process as claimed in claim 9, wherein the additional species that is injected comprises nitrogen or argon, used by itself or possibly as a mixture with a minor fraction of CH₄ and/or H₂.

11. :

The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the target comprises a material selected from the group consisting of amorphous boron, boron crystallized in cubic form, boron crystallized in hexagonal form, aluminum, silicon, amorphous boron nitride, boron nitride crystallized in hexagonal form, boron nitride crystallized in cubic form, silicon nitride, aluminum nitride and mixtures thereof.

12. :

The process as claimed claim 1, wherein the target is biased so as to adjust the energy of the sputtering species.

13. :

The process as claimed in claim 12, wherein the biased target is fastened to a cathode magnetron.

14. :

The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein an ion-neutralizing device is positioned nearby, optionally consisting of a cathode magnetron.

15. :

The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein a second ion source, the ion beam of which is directed onto the substrate, is used.

16. :

A substrate coated on at least one surface portion with a thin-film multilayer comprising an alternation of n functional layers A having reflection properties in the infrared and/or in solar radiation, and of (n+1) coatings B where n≧

1, said coatings B comprising a film or a superposition of films made of a dielectric based on silicon nitride, a mixture of silicon and aluminum, silicon oxynitride, zinc oxide, tin oxide, or titanium oxide, in such a way that each functional film A is placed between two coatings B, the multilayer also including at least one metal layer C in the visible radiation, based on titanium, nickel-chromium or zirconium, said films optionally being in nitride or oxide form and being located above and/or below a functional film, wherein a final film of the multilayer is covered with at least one terminal film based on a material selected from the group consisting of amorphous boron nitride, boron nitride crystallized in hexagonal form, boron nitride crystallized in cubic form, silicon nitride, aluminum nitride and mixtures thereof, the terminal film being deposited by the process as claimed in claim 1.

17. :

A substrate coated on at least one surface portion with an antireflection or mirror coating operating in the visible or solar infrared range, made from a multilayer (A) of thin films made of dielectrics having alternately high and low refractive indices, wherein a final film of the multilayer is covered with at least one terminal film based on a material selected from the group consisting of amorphous boron nitride, boron nitride crystallized in hexagonal form, boron nitride crystallized in cubic form, silicon nitride, aluminum nitride and mixtures thereof the terminal film being deposited by the process as claimed in claim 1.

18. :

A substrate comprising at least one film based on a material selected from the group consisting of amorphous boron nitride, boron nitride crystallized in hexagonal form, boron nitride crystallized in cubic form, silicon nitride, aluminum nitride and mixtures thereof, said film being deposited by the process as claimed in claim 1.

19. :

The substrate as claimed in claim 16, wherein a substrate is intended for the automobile industry, for buildings, for protecting an article of a painting type, or for antidazzle screen and glass furniture, optionally incorporating a photovoltaic system, a display screen, a glass parapet or an antisoiling system.