Computer program for vacuum coating systems

• US 4,902,398 A
• Filed: 04/27/1988
• Issued: 02/20/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: American THIM Film Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: American THIM Film Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Homstad, Larry E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Nam X.
• Application Number:
  US07/186,590
• Time in Patent Office: 664 Days
• Field of Search: 204/192.1, 204/192.12, 204/298 MT, 204/298 GF, 204/298 CS, 204/298 SC, 204/298 SM, 204/298 MC, 204/298 ND, 364/469, 364/471, 364/474, 364/474.09
• US Class Current: 204/298.24
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/54 Controlling or regulating the coating process
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/562 for coating elongated substrates

Abstract

A computer program and method for controlling the coating of flexible materials in vacuum coating deposition systems.

Claims

1. A roll coater and program control system for deposition coating, comprising in combination:

a vacuum chamber;

a pair of rotatable chill drums which are oppositely positioned one above the other so as to form a top drum and a lower drum and relative to each other such that a material to be coated lays flat on surface portions of each of the drums as the material moves over the drums;

a feed roll positioned to one side of the drums for supplying a length of flexible material to be run over the drums and coated;

a take-up roll positioned to the other side of the drums for receiving the coated material after it has run over the chill drums;

drive means for moving the material from the feed roll and over the chill drums;

a roll of flexible material carried on the feed roll and extending to the lower portion of the top drum on the side thereof on which the feed roll is positioned, the material extending upwardly, over the top of the top drum, down the other side of the top drum and crossing the space between the top and lower drum to extend downwardly over the side of the lower drum which the feed roll is positioned, around the bottom of the lower drum and upwardly over the other side of the lower drum and then to the take-up roll whereby the material is fed over the top drum in a first direction and is subsequently fed over the lower drum in a second and opposite direction, the drums counter rotating as the material moves over them to the take-up roll, opposite sides of the material being exposed on the respective drums for being coated as the material moves over the drums;

means for positioning one or more source targets near each of the drums, to each side and at the top of the top drum and to each side and at the bottom of the lower drum whereby the angle of incidence of the source target surface of each source target maybe maintained substantially normal to that surface portion of the respective drums to which a source target is closest, and

program means for operating said system, said program means comprising further means for;

accessing a file of run data used to control the processing of the deposition at various times during a run;

initiating the evacuation of the system chamber by operation of pump means;

determining, by means of input signals to the program from sensor means, when the desired pressure has been reached in the system chamber;

throttling valve means connected to the system chamber to a predetermined close point by means of output signals from the computer program;

controlling the introduction of a gas into the system chamber, said program monitoring the chamber to maintain the gas at the predetermined value established by said run data;

moving the flexible material through the system;

turning "on" at least one source target at a predetermined power setting, said power setting determined by said run data, and

depositing single or multiple layer coatings onto one or both sides of the flexible material as the material moves through the system.

2. The roll coater of claim 1 wherein the gas is a mixture, said mixture being determined by said run data, said program means additionally monitoring the system chamber so as to maintain the gas mixture components at the predetermined percentages established by said run data.

3. The roll coater of claim 2 wherein said program means additionally controls the system so as to:

close said valve means after depositing a coating on said flexible coating, and

vent the system chamber with a clean dry gas.

4. The roll coater of claim 2 where the run data file further includes data allowing for variation in said material speed, material tension, gas mixture, chill drum temperature, and source target power level, whereby these parameters may be varied during a run either by time since start of a run or based on the number of feet of flexible material coated.

5. The roll coater of claim 4 wherein the program means additionally controls the system so as to execute the program means at a predetermined interval during the coating process, wherein said program means monitors the time since the start of the coating of the material and compares the time to data in the run data file for determining if alterations must be made in material speed, material tension, gas mixture, chill drum temperature, or source target power level.

6. The roll coater of claim 5 where the interval at which the program means executes is twice per second.

7. The roll coater of claim 6 said program means additionally controls the system so as to save the information gathered by monitoring and transfer said information to an output device.

8. The roll coater of claim 4 wherein the program means additionally controls the system so as to execute the program means at a predetermined interval during the coating process, wherein said program means monitors the number of feet of material coated since the start of the coating of the material and compares that to data in the run data file for determining if alterations must be made in material speed, material tension, gas mixture, chill drum temperature, or source target power level.

9. The roll coater of claim 8 where the interval at which the program means executes is twice per second.

10. The roll coater of claim 9 wherein said program means additionally controls the system so as to save the information gathered by monitoring and transfer said information to an output device.

11. The roll coater of claim 2 wherein said monitoring is done with a mass spectrometer which interacts with the program means to maintain the correct percentage of gas mixture.

12. The roll coater of claim 11 wherein said program means additionally controls the system so as to monitor the status of the material tension such that if there is no tension on the material during a run all power to the active source targets is cut off.

13. The roll coater of claim 11 wherein the evacuation of said chamber is a two stage process comprising:

a first mechanical pump means stage, and

a second cryogenic pump means stage.

14. The roll coater of claim 13 wherein said program means additionally controls the system so as to detect, by means of input signals to the program means from sensor means, when the desired pressure at each stage has been reached in the system chamber.

15. The roll coater of claim 11 wherein the program means additionally controls the system so as to determine if the pressure in said chamber is falling at least at a threshold rate.

16. In combination, a roll coater for depositing single or multiple layer coatings onto one or both sides of a flexible substrate material using source target means, the roll coater being of the type having a vacuum chamber with a pair of rotatable chill drums positioned one above the other;

pump means used to evacuate the chamber;

sensor means to monitor the pressure in the chamber; and

gas source means used to fill the chamber, and a computer program for operating a processor, the computer program comprising;

program means configured to control a processor so as to;

access a file of run data used to control the processing of the deposition at various times during a run;

initiate the evacuation of the chamber by operation of the pump means;

determine, by means of input signals to the program from sensor means, when a predetermined pressure has been reached in the chamber;

control the introduction of a gas into the chamber, said program monitoring the chamber to maintain the gas at the predetermined pressure value established by said run data;

initiate and control movement of the flexible material through the system;

turn "turn on" the source target means at a predetermined power setting, said power setting determined by said run data, and

deposit a coating onto the flexible material as the material moves through the system.