Method of forming a transparent conductive film

• US 5,009,922 A
• Filed: 03/01/1990
• Issued: 04/23/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Asahi Glass Company, Limited (AGC, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AGC Flat Glass Company Limited (AGC, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hashimoto, Naoki, Harano, Takeshi, Kojima, Hiroyasu, Suzuki, Koichi, Shigesato, Yuzo, Takaki, Satoru, Oyama, Takuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Pianalto, Bernard
• Application Number:
  US07/486,841
• Time in Patent Office: 418 Days
• Field of Search: 427/38, 427/37, 427/47, 427/109, 427/126.2, 427/126.3, 427/314, 427/322
• US Class Current: 427/571
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/245 by deposition from the vapour phase
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/2453 Coating containing SnO2
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/211 SnO2
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/215 In2O3
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/216 ZnO
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/231 In2O3/SnO2
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/151 by vacuum evaporation
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/086 of zinc, germanium, cadmium, indium, tin, thallium or bismuth
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/325 Electric arc evaporation

Abstract

In a method of forming a transparent conductive film, an arc discharge type plasma produced by arc discharging is generated in an atmosphere wherein the pressure of an atmospheric gas is 3.0 × 10^-4 Torr or higher; the plasma is converged onto a vapor deposition material for forming a transparent conductive film to thereby evaporate the vapor deposition material, whereby said transparent conductive film is formed on a substrate located above said vapor deposition material.

Claims

1. A method of forming a transparent conductive film characterized in that an arc discharge type plasma produced by arc discharging is generated in an atmosphere wherein the pressure of an atmospheric gas is 3.0×

10^-4 Torr or higher;

the plasma is converged onto a vapor deposition material for forming a transparent conductive film to thereby evaporate the vapor deposition material, whereby said transparent conductive film is formed on a substrate located above said vapor deposition material.

2. The method of forming a transparent conductive film according to claim 1, wherein the atmospheric gas is He or a gas containing He.

3. The method of forming a transparent conductive film according to claim 1, wherein the atmospheric gas is Ar or a gas containing Ar and the pressure of the atmospheric gas is 5.0×

10^-4 Torr or higher.

4. The method of forming a transparent conductive film according to anyone of claims 1 through 3, wherein the transparent conductive film has a compressive stress of 500 kgf/cm² or lower.

5. The method of forming a transparent conductive film according to claim 4, wherein the transparent conductive film contains as the major component one selected from the group consisting of indium oxide, tin oxide and zinc oxide.

6. The method of forming a transparent conductive film according to claim 5, wherein said transparent conductive film is formed on the substrate at the temperature of 200°

C. or higher, and wherein it is essentially composed of a tin-doped indium oxide and has a compressive stress of 5000 kgf/cm² or lower and a resistivity of 2×

10^-4 Ω

.cm or lower.

7. The method of forming a transparent conductive film according to claim 5, wherein said transparent conductive film is formed on the substrate at the temperature of 200°

C. or lower, and wherein it is essentially composed of a tin-doped indium oxide and has a compressive stress of 5000 kgf/cm² or lower and a resistivity of 3×

10^-4 Ω

.cm or lower.

8. A method of preparing a conductive substrate with a color filer characterized in that a color filter is formed on a substrate;

and when the substrate is at the temperature of 200°

C. or lower, a transparent conductive film essentially composed of a tin-doped indium oxide wherein the compressive stress if 5000 kgf/cm² or lower and the resistivity is 3×

10^-4 Ω

.cm or lower, is formed on said color filter in accordance with the method as described in claim 5.

9. The method of forming a transparent conductive film according to anyone of claims 1 through 3, or the method of preparing a conductive substrate with a color filter according to claim 8, wherein an arc discharge plasma is deformed in a form of sheet by applying a magnetic field to the plasma, and the sheet plasma is guided onto a vapor deposition material by the magnetic field of an elongated permanent magnet extending in the width direction of the sheet plasma so that the transparent conductive film is formed on a substrate located above the vapor deposition material.