OPTICAL COATING METHOD, APPARATUS AND PRODUCT

• US 20130263784A1
• Filed: 05/30/2013
• Published: 10/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Inventors: Lee, Christopher Morton, Lu, Xiao-feng, Ouyang, Michael Xu, Zhang, Junhong
• Granted Patent: US 10,077,207 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 118/723.R
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 1/60 Deposition of organic layers from vapour phase vapour phase deposition in general C23C14/00, C23C16/00
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 2203/35 Glass
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 5/083 involving the use of fluoropolymers
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/00 Surface treatment of glass, not in the form of fibres or filaments, by coating optical coatings of optical elements G02B1/10
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/002 for flat glass, e.g. float glass
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/42 at least one coating of an organic material and at least one non-metal coating
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/734 comprising an alternation of high and low refractive indexes
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/76 Hydrophobic and oleophobic coatings
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/78 Coatings specially designed to be durable, e.g. scratch-resistant
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/151 by vacuum evaporation
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/32 After-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/044 using masks to redistribute rather than totally prevent coating, e.g. producing thickness gradient
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/12 Organic material
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/24 Vacuum evaporation
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/505 for rotation of the substrates
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/56 Apparatus specially adapted for continuous coating; Arrangements for maintaining the vacuum, e.g. vacuum locks

Abstract

This disclosure is directed to an improved process for making glass articles having optical coating and easy-to clean coating thereon, an apparatus for the process and a product made using the process. In particular, the disclosure is directed to a process in which the application of the optical coating and the easy-to-clean coating can be sequentially applied using a single apparatus. Using the combination of the coating apparatus and the substrate carrier described herein results in a glass article having both optical and easy-to-clean coating that have improved scratch resistance durability and optical performance, and in addition the resulting articles are “shadow free.”

Claims

1. A substrate carrier for holding a substrate during a coating process, the substrate carrier comprising:

a substrate carrier base comprising a retention surface, an underside, and a substrate retention area disposed on the retention surface, the substrate retention area having an area less than an area of the retention surface; and

a plurality of magnets coupled to the underside of the substrate carrier base and positioned outside of a perimeter of the substrate retention area.

2. The substrate carrier of claim 1 further comprising an adhesive material positioned over the retention surface in the substrate retention area for releasably affixing at least one substrate to be coated to the retention surface.

3. The substrate carrier of claim 1 further comprising:

a plurality of pins for supporting a substrate positioned on the retention surface;

a spring system comprising a retractable pin held in place by a spring which biases the retractable pin into contact with the substrate when the substrate is positioned on the retention surface; and

a plurality of side stoppers extending from the substrate carrier base for a distance such that, when the substrate is positioned on the plurality of pins, tops of the plurality of side stoppers are below a top surface of the substrate.

4. The substrate carrier of claim 1 further comprising:

a plurality of pins for supporting a substrate positioned on the retention surface;

a housing with a retractable pin disposed in the housing, wherein the retractable pin is held in place by a spring, the retractable pin being outwardly biased from the housing and into contact with the substrate when the substrate is positioned on the retention surface; and

a plurality of movable pins for holding an edge of the substrate when the substrate is positioned on the retention surface, wherein positions of the plurality of pins are adjustable to accommodate substrates of different shapes and dimensions.

5. A substrate carrier for holding a substrate during a coating process, the substrate carrier comprising:

a substrate carrier base comprising a retention surface, an underside, and a substrate retention area disposed on the retention surface;

a plurality of magnets coupled to the underside of the substrate carrier base and positioned outside of a perimeter of the substrate retention area; and

an adhesive material positioned over the retention surface in the substrate retention area for releasably affixing at least one substrate to be coated.

6. The substrate carrier of claim 5, wherein the substrate carrier further comprises a polymer film positioned between the retention surface and the adhesive material.

7. The substrate carrier of claim 6, wherein the polymer film comprises a thermoplastic polymer film.

8. The substrate carrier of claim 6, wherein the polymer film is a static film.

9. The substrate carrier of claim 5, wherein the adhesive material is a pressure sensitive adhesive.

10. The substrate carrier of claim 5, wherein the adhesive material is selected from the group consisting of acrylic adhesives, rubber adhesives, and silicone adhesives.

11. A coating apparatus for coating a substrate, the coating apparatus comprising:

a vacuum chamber;

a rotatable dome positioned in the vacuum chamber and comprising a magnetic material; and

a plasma source positioned within the vacuum chamber and substantially vertically oriented to direct plasma onto an underside of the rotatable dome, wherein the plasma source is positioned below the rotatable dome and radially outward from an axis of rotation of the rotatable dome such that the plasma emitted from the plasma source is incident on the underside of the rotatable dome from at least an outer edge of the rotatable dome to at least a center of the rotatable dome.

12. The coating apparatus of claim 11, wherein a distance between the axis of rotation of the rotatable dome and the plasma source is greater than a distance between a projected perimeter of the rotatable dome and the plasma source.

13. The coating apparatus of claim 11 further comprising at least one e-beam source positioned in the vacuum chamber and oriented to direct an electron beam onto coating source materials positioned in the vacuum chamber.

14. The coating apparatus of claim 13 further comprising at least one shadow mask adjustably positionable within the vacuum chamber.

15. The coating apparatus of claim 14, wherein the at least one shadow mask is adjustable from an extended position wherein the at least one shadow mask is positioned between the at least one e-beam source and the rotatable dome and a retracted position wherein the at least one shadow mask is not positioned between the at least one e-beam source and the rotatable dome.

16. The coating apparatus of claim 14 further comprising a second e-beam source positioned in the vacuum chamber and oriented to direct a second electron beam onto coating source materials positioned in the vacuum chamber.

17. The coating apparatus of claim 16 further comprising a second shadow mask positioned between the second e-beam source and the rotatable dome.

18. The coating apparatus of claim 11 further comprising at least one thermal evaporation source positioned in the vacuum chamber.

19. The coating apparatus of claim 11, wherein the rotatable dome comprises:

an opening at a top center of the rotatable dome;

a transparent glass plate covering the opening of the rotatable dome; and

a monitor positioned in an opening in the transparent glass plate for monitoring a deposition rate of coating material deposited in the vacuum chamber.

20. The coating apparatus of claim 19 further comprising an optical fiber positioned above the transparent glass plate, wherein the optical fiber collects light reflected from the transparent glass plate as the transparent glass plate is coated to determine a change in reflectance of the transparent glass plate and thereby a thickness of coatings applied to the transparent glass plate.

21. A coating apparatus for coating a substrate, the coating apparatus comprising:

a vacuum chamber;

a rotatable dome positioned in the vacuum chamber, the rotatable dome comprising a magnetic material; and

at least one substrate carrier for attachment to the rotatable dome, the at least one substrate carrier comprising;

a substrate carrier base comprising a retention surface, an underside, and a substrate retention area disposed on the retention surface;

a plurality of magnets coupled to the underside of the substrate carrier base and positioned outside of a perimeter of the substrate retention area; and

an adhesive material positioned over the retention surface in the substrate retention area for releasably affixing at least one substrate to be coated.

22. The coating apparatus of claim 21 further comprising a plasma source positioned within the vacuum chamber and substantially vertically oriented to direct plasma onto an underside of the rotatable dome, wherein the plasma source is positioned below the rotatable dome and radially outward from an axis of rotation of the rotatable dome such that the plasma emitted from the plasma source is incident on the underside of the rotatable dome from at least an outer edge of the rotatable dome to at least a center of the rotatable dome.

23. The coating apparatus of claim 22, wherein a distance between the axis of rotation of the rotatable dome and the plasma source is greater than a distance between a projected perimeter of the rotatable dome and the plasma source.

24. The coating apparatus of claim 21 further comprising a first e-beam source positioned in the vacuum chamber and oriented to direct a first electron beam onto a first coating source material positioned in the vacuum chamber and a second e-beam source positioned in the vacuum chamber and oriented to direct a second electron beam onto a second coating source material positioned in the vacuum chamber.

25. The coating apparatus of claim 24, wherein the first coating source material has a high refractive index and the second coating source material has a low refractive index or a medium refractive index.

26. The coating apparatus of claim 23 further comprising at least one shadow mask adjustably positionable within the vacuum chamber.

27. The coating apparatus of claim 26, wherein the at least one shadow mask is adjustable from an extended position wherein the at least one shadow mask is positioned between at least one of the first e-beam source and the second e-beam source and the rotatable dome and a retracted position wherein the at least one shadow mask is not positioned between either the first e-beam source or the second e-beam source and the rotatable dome.