Method for producing glass thin film

• US 5,660,611 A
• Filed: 06/05/1995
• Issued: 08/26/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: Hirose, Chizai, Saitoh, Masahide, Ishikawa, Shinji, Aikawa, Haruhiko, Urano, Akira, Kanamori, Hiroo
• Primary Examiner(s): Griffin, Steven P.
• Application Number:
  US08/463,866
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 65/60.5, 65/60.8, 65/17.4, 65/384, 65/386, 65/399, 65/423, 65/430, 65/416, 65/444, 65/32.4, 427/108, 427/163.2, 427/165, 427/167
• US Class Current: 65/384
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 19/14 by gas- or vapour- phase reaction processes
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 19/1415 Reactant delivery systems
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 19/1453 Thermal after-treatment of the shaped article, e.g. dehydrating, consolidating, sintering
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 2207/90 with vapour generated from solid glass precursors, i.e. by sublimation
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/001 General methods for coating; Devices therefor
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/02 with glass C03C17/34, C03C17/44 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/10 Glass or silica
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/44 characterised by the method of coating C23C16/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/453 passing the reaction gases through burners or torches, e.g. atmospheric pressure CVD C23C16/513 takes precedence; for flame or plasma spraying of coating material in the molten state C23C4/00

Abstract

A method for producing an oxide glass thin film is provided, in which volatilization of additives in a porous film from which the thin film is formed is effectively suppressed, and which the oxide glass film has a desired arrangement of refractive index with a low optical loss. According to this method, glass fine particles mainly containing SiO₂ with a first additive are deposited on a substrate to form a porous thin film. A gas containing a second additive is supplied to a first chamber and heated to a first predetermined temperature profile to provide a heated gas containing an oxide. After disposing the substrate in a second chamber communicated with the first chamber, the substrate is heated to make the deposited porous glass into transparent glass while controlling a temperature in the second chamber according to a second temperature profile. A carrier gas is flowed from the first chamber to the second chamber to transfer the heated gas and oxide from the first chamber to the second chamber during heating. The temperature of the first predetermined temperature profile is maintained higher than the temperature of the second predetermined temperature profile at the same time. In addition, the heated gas contains a component that is also present in the first additive.

Claims

1. A method for producing a glass thin film with a first additive on a substrate, said method comprising the steps of:

depositing SiO₂ porous glass with the first additive on the substrate;

supplying a chloride gas having a component of the first additive to a first chamber;

heating the chloride gas having the component of the first additive in the first chamber while controlling a temperature in the first chamber according to a first predetermined temperature profile so as to produce a heated gas containing an oxide;

heating said substrate located in a second chamber communicated with the first chamber to make the deposited porous glass into transparent glass while controlling a temperature in the second chamber according to a second predetermined temperature profile; and

flowing a carrier gas from the first chamber to the second chamber to transfer the heated gas containing an oxide from the first chamber to the second chamber during said heating steps,

wherein the temperature at any given time of the first predetermined temperature profile is higher than the temperature of the second predetermined temperature profile at the same time, and further wherein the oxide of the heated gas containing an oxide is an oxide of the component of the first additive.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is a silica glass substrate or silicon substrate.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the oxide of the component of the first additive comprises at least one of GeO_x, PO_x AND BO_x.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the temperature at any given time of said first predetermined temperature profile is higher than the temperature of said second predetermined temperature profile at the same time by a predetermined temperature.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein said step of heating the chloride gas having the component of the first additive oxidizes the chloride gas to form the oxide of the component of the first additive.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the substrate is a silicon gas substrate or silicon substrate.

7. A method according to claim 5, wherein the oxide of the component of the first additive comprises at least one of GeO_x, PO_x and BO_x.

8. A method according to claim 5, wherein the temperature at any given time of said first predetermined temperature profile is higher than the temperature of said second predetermined temperature profile at the same time by a predetermined temperature.