High rate deposition of titanium dioxide

• US 6,890,656 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2002
• Issued: 05/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SABIC Global Technologies BV (Government of Saudi Arabia)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Gillette, Gregory Ronald, Schaepkens, Marc, Iacovangelo, Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Jones, Deborah
• Assistant Examiner(s): BLACKWELL, GWENDOLYN
• Application Number:
  US10/248,152
• Publication Number:
  US 20040121164A1
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• Field of Search: 428/412, 428/426, 428/432, 428/428, 428/689, 428/699, 428/701, 428/702, 428/220
• US Class Current: 428/412
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/405 of refractory metals or yttrium
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/513 using plasma jets
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/265 1 mil or less
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31507 Of polycarbonate
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31855 Of addition polymer from unsaturated monomers

Abstract

There is provided a structure. The structure comprises a substrate, and a titanium oxide layer disposed over the substrate. There is also provided a method of forming a titanium oxide coating on a substrate. The method includes generating a plasma; providing a first reactant, comprising titanium, and a second reactant, comprising oxygen, into the plasma stream extending to the substrate; and forming the titanium oxide coating on the substrate.

Claims

1. A structure comprising:

a substrate; and

a titanium oxide layer disposed over the substrate, wherein the titanium oxide layer is characterized by a property, wherein the property is at least one of an absorbency per unit thickness at an optical wavelength of 330 nm of greater than 4/μ

m, or an absorbency per unit thickness at an optical wavelength of 330 nm of greater than 4/μ

m which decreases by no more than 5% after the structure is submerged for 3 days in distilled water at 65°

C.

2. The structure of claim 1, further comprising:

an interlayer disposed between the substrate and the titanium oxide layer.

3. The structure of claim 1, further comprising:

a stack of alternating interlayers and titanium oxide layers formed over the titanium oxide layer.

4. The structure of claim 1, further comprising:

an abrasion resistant layer disposed on the titanium oxide layer.

5. The structure of claim 4, wherein the abrasion resistant layer is one of SiO_x, SiO_x C_y H_z, silicon dioxide and aluminum oxide.

6. The structure of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a polymer.

7. The structure of claim 6, wherein the substrate comprises polycarbonate.

8. The structure of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises one of a lens, a vehicle window, a display screen and a component for a display screen.

9. The structure of claim 1, wherein the titanium oxide layer is deposited using an expanding thermal plasma technique.

10. The structure of claim 1, wherein the substrate is polycarbonate and the oxygen permeation rate through the polycarbonate film is less than 10 cc/m²/day in 100% O₂ at room temperature.

11. The structure of claim 1, wherein the titanium oxide layer has an absorbency per unit thickness at an optical wavelength of 330 nm of greater than 4/μ

m.

12. The structure of claim 1, wherein the titanium oxide layer has an absorbency per unit thickness at an optical wavelength of 330 nm of greater than 4/μ

m which decreases by no more than 5% after the structure is submerged for 3 days in distilled water at 65°

C.

13. The structure of claim 1, further comprising:

an interlayer disposed between the substrate and the titanium oxide layer; and

an abrasion layer disposed on the titanium oxide layer; and

wherein the structure exhibits no delamination after the structure is submerged for 3 days in distilled water at 65°

C.

14. A method of forming the structure of claim 1, the method comprising:

generating a plasma stream with an expanding thermal plasma generator providing a first reactant, comprising titanium, and a second reactant, comprising oxygen, into the plasma stream extending to the substrate; and

forming the titanium oxide layer.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the titanium oxide coating is formed on the substrate at a rate of greater than 1 μ

m/minute.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the first reactant comprises TiCl₄ and the second reactant comprises water vapor.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the plasma stream comprises an Ar plasma stream.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the deposition rate of the titanium oxide film is at least about 16 nm/second.

19. A titanium oxide coating made by the method of claim 14.