Antireflection coating for a temperature sensitive substrate

• US 5,579,162 A
• Filed: 10/31/1994
• Issued: 11/26/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tru Vue Inc. (Apogee Enterprises Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Viratec Thin Films, Inc. (Apogee Enterprises Incorporated)
• Inventors: Meredith, William A. Jr., Bjornard, Erik J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dzierzynski, Paul M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHANG, AUDREY Y
• Application Number:
  US08/332,291
• Time in Patent Office: 757 Days
• Field of Search: 359/580, 359/584, 359/585, 359/586, 359/587, 359/588, 359/589, 359/359
• US Class Current: 359/580
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3417 all coatings being oxide coatings
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/734 comprising an alternation of high and low refractive indexes
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/155 by reactive sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/115 Multilayers
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/116 including electrically conducting layers

Abstract

A multilayer antireflection coating for a temperature sensitive substrate such as plastic. One layer is a DC reactively sputtered metal oxide which may be deposited quickly and without imparting a large amount of heat to the substrate. Another layer has a refractive index lower than the substrate.

Claims

1. A coated article comprising:

a temperature-sensitive substrate having a melting point lower than glass;

an anti-reflection coating including a plurality of layers substantially transparent to visible light, at least one of said layers being a DC reactively sputtered material having a refractive index higher than said substrate and selected from the group consisting of tin oxide, indium oxide, zinc oxide, tin-doped indium oxide, antimony-doped tin oxide, tin-bismuth oxide, and tin-zinc oxide, and at least one other layer having a refractive index lower than said substrate.

2. The article of claim 1 wherein said substrate is plastic.

3. The article of claim 1 wherein said other layer is substantially silicon dioxide.

4. The article of claim 3 wherein said DC reactively sputtered material is tin oxide.

5. The article of claim 3 wherein said DC reactively sputtered material is tin-doped indium oxide.

6. The article of claim 1 wherein said DC reactively sputtered material has a refractive index between 1.9 and 2.2.

7. The article of claim 1 wherein said plurality of layers includes four layers designated the first, second, third, and fourth layers in consecutive numerical order beginning with the layer farthest from the substrate,

said first layer having a refractive index lower than said substrate and having an optical thickness of about one-quarter wavelength at a wavelength between 480 and 560 nanometers,

said second layer having a refractive index higher than said substrate and having an optical thickness between about one-quarter and one-third of a wavelength at a wavelength between 480 and 560 nanometers,

said third layer having a refractive index lower than said second layer,

said fourth layer having a refractive index greater than said third layer,

said third and fourth layers having a total optical thickness less than one-quarter wavelength at a wavelength between 480 and 560 nanometers, and

at least one of said second and fourth layers being said selected sputtered material.

8. A process for making a coated article, comprising the steps of:

providing a temperature-sensitive surface having a melting point lower than glass; and

disposing an anti-reflection coating including a plurality of layers substantially transparent to visible light on said surface, said disposing step including the steps of

DC reactively sputtering a material selected from the group consisting of tin oxide, indium oxide, zinc oxide, tin-doped indium oxide, antimony-doped tin oxide, tin-bismuth oxide, and tin-zinc oxide, and

depositing at least one other layer having a refractive index different from said DC reactively sputtered material.

9. An anti-reflection coating for a substrate, comprising:

four layers substantially transparent to visible light and designated the first, second, third, and fourth layers in consecutive numerical order beginning with the layer farthest from the substrate;

said first layer substantially composed of silicon dioxide having a refractive index lower than said substrate, an optical thickness of about one-quarter wavelength at a wavelength between 480 and 560 nanometers, and a physical thickness of about 94.2 nanometers;

said second layer substantially composed of DC reactively sputtered tin oxide having a refractive index higher than said substrate, an optical thickness between about one-quarter and one-third of a wavelength at a wavelength between 480 and 560 nanometers, and a physical thickness of about 76.4 nanometers;

said third layer substantially composed of silicon dioxide having a refractive index lower than said second layer and a physical thickness of about 31.9 nanometers;

said fourth layer substantially composed of DC reactively sputtered tin oxide having a refractive index greater than said third layer and a physical thickness of about 20.3 nanometers; and

said third and fourth layers having a total optical thickness less than one-quarter wavelength at a wavelength between 480 and 560 nanometers.

10. An anti-reflection coating for a substrate, comprising:

four layers substantially transparent to visible light and designated the first, second, third, and fourth layers in consecutive numerical order beginning with the layer farthest from the substrate;

said first layer substantially composed of silicon dioxide having a refractive index lower than said substrate, an optical thickness of about one-quarter wavelength at a wavelength between 480 and 560 nanometers, and a physical thickness of about 92.2 nanometers;

said second layer substantially composed of DC reactively sputtered tin oxide having a refractive index higher than said substrate, an optical thickness between about one-quarter and one-third of a wavelength at a wavelength between 480 and 560 nanometers, and a physical thickness of about 78.1 nanometers;

said third layer substantially composed of silicon dioxide having a refractive index lower than said second layer and a physical thickness of about 32.2 nanometers;

said fourth layer substantially composed of DC reactively sputtered tin oxide having a refractive index greater than said third layer and a physical thickness of about 18.6 nanometers; and

said third and fourth layers having a total optical thickness less than one-quarter wavelength at a wavelength between 480 and 560 nanometers.