Methods and apparatuses for depositing film on both sides of a pane

• US 7,491,301 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2004
• Issued: 02/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cardinal CG Company (Cardinal Glass Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cardinal CG Company (Cardinal Glass Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Krisko, Annette J., Stanek, Roger, Bond, Bob, Hartig, Klaus, Pfaff, Gary
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Nam X
• Assistant Examiner(s): BRAYTON, JOHN JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US10/922,719
• Publication Number:
  US 20050016835A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,642 Days
• Field of Search: 204/192.12, 204/298.24, 204/192.23, 204/298.06, 204/298.25, 204/298.26, 204/298.21
• US Class Current: 204/192.12
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/245 by deposition from the vapour phase
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3417 all coatings being oxide coatings
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/36 at least one coating being a metal
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3618 Coatings of type glass/inorganic compound/other inorganic layers, at least one layer being metallic
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3626 one layer at least containing a nitride, oxynitride, boronitride or carbonitride
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3639 Multilayers containing at least two functional metal layers
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3642 the multilayer coating containing a metal layer
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3681 the multilayer coating being used in glazing, e.g. windows or windscreens
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/213 SiO2
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/75 Hydrophilic and oleophilic coatings
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/77 Coatings having a rough surface
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/154 by sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/365 Coating different sides of a glass substrate
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/10 Glass or silica
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/3464 using more than one target C23C14/56 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/568 Transferring the substrates through a series of coating stations C23C14/562 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/26 Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or component, the element or component having a specified physical dimension
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/265 1 mil or less

Abstract

A method and apparatus for coating two sides of a single pane of glass or other substrate in a single pass through a coating apparatus. A sputtering line is provided, this line comprising a series of sputtering chambers. At least one of the chambers comprises a downward sputtering chamber having an upper target. At least one of the chambers comprises an upward sputtering chamber having a lower target. In some embodiments, the upper and lower targets are rotary targets. The coating apparatus advantageously has a plurality of transport rollers for conveying the substrate along the sputtering line. In certain embodiments, a majority of the chambers of the sputtering line are downward sputtering chambers each having only an upper target with no lower target.

Claims

1. A method of depositing film onto two sides of a single pane of glass in a single pass through a coating apparatus, comprising:

providing a sheet of glass having a clean interior surface and a clean exterior surface;

providing a sputtering line comprising a series of sputtering chambers, the sputtering line having a plurality of transport rollers for conveying the glass sheet along the sputtering line, the sputtering line having an upper target positioned above the transport rollers and a lower target positioned below the transport rollers, wherein the upper and lower targets are rotary targets;

positioning the sheet of glass on the transport rollers such that the interior surface is oriented toward the upper target and sputtering the upper target to deposit a coating directly on one of the interior surface of the glass or a film stack layer previously deposited on the interior surface of the glass;

positioning the sheet of glass on the transport rollers such that the exterior surface is oriented toward the lower target and sputtering the lower target to deposit a coating on one of the exterior surface of the glass or a film stack layer previously deposited on the exterior surface of the glass;

wherein the glass sheet is conveyed over the transport rollers such that the coating on the exterior surface of the glass sheet comes into direct contact with the transport rollers, and wherein the glass sheet is coated on both the interior surface and the exterior surface while maintaining a constant orientation wherein the interior surface is positioned above the exterior surface.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the sputtering line includes a combination of dual direction sputtering chambers and downward sputtering chambers, each dual direction sputtering chamber having at least one target above the transport rollers and at least one target below the transport rollers, each downward sputtering chamber having only an upper target with no target beneath the transport rollers, wherein a plurality of the downward sputtering chambers are each operated to deposit a metal layer.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the sputtering line includes a dual direction sputtering chamber comprising both the upper and lower targets, and in which while the glass sheet remains in the dual direction sputtering chamber said sputtering of both the upper target and the lower target is performed, wherein said coating sputtered from the upper target is part of a film stack comprising a series of distinct layers, wherein said coating sputtered from the lower target is a water-sheeting coating, and wherein said film stack has a greater thickness than the water-sheeting coating.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the sheet of glass is conveyed horizontally over the transport rollers during said sputtering of the lower target and during said sputtering of the upper target.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the sputtering line includes a dual-direction sputtering chamber in which two targets formed of titanium metal or TiO_x, where 1<

x<

2, are provided above or below the transport rollers, wherein the dual-direction sputtering chamber includes lower gas distribution pipes adjacent the lower target and upper gas distribution pipes adjacent said spaced-apart targets, and wherein both said lower distribution pipes and said upper gas distribution pipes are operated to introduce a mixture of argon and oxygen into the dual-direction sputtering chamber.

6. A method of depositing film onto two sides of a single pane of glass in a single pass through a coating apparatus, comprising:

providing a sheet of glass having a clean interior surface and a clean exterior surface;

providing a sputtering line comprising a series of sputtering chambers, the sputtering line having a plurality of transport rollers for conveying the glass sheet along the sputtering line, the sputtering line having an upper target positioned above the transport rollers and a lower target positioned below the transport rollers;

positioning the sheet of glass on the transport rollers such that the interior surface is oriented toward the upper target and sputtering the upper target to deposit a coating directly on one of the interior surface of the glass or a film stack layer previously deposited on the interior surface of the glass;

positioning the sheet of glass on the transport rollers such that the exterior surface is oriented toward the lower target and sputtering the lower target to deposit a coating on one of the exterior surface of the glass or a film stack layer previously deposited on the exterior surface of the glass;

wherein the glass sheet is coated on both the interior surface and the exterior surface while maintaining a constant orientation wherein the interior surface is positioned above the exterior surface, wherein the sputtering line includes a combination of dual direction sputtering chambers and downward sputtering chambers, each dual direction sputtering chamber having at least one target above the transport rollers and at least one target below the transport rollers, each downward sputtering chamber having only an upper target with no target beneath the transport rollers, and wherein a plurality of the downward sputtering chambers are each operated to deposit a metal layer.

7. A method of depositing film onto two sides of a single pane of glass in a single pass through a coating apparatus, comprising:

providing a sheet of glass having a clean interior surface and a clean exterior surface;

providing a sputtering line comprising a series of sputtering chambers, the sputtering line having a plurality of transport rollers for conveying the glass sheet along the sputtering line, the sputtering line having an upper target positioned above the transport rollers and a lower target positioned below the transport rollers, wherein the upper target and the lower target are provided in a single sputtering chamber of the sputtering line;

positioning the sheet of glass on the transport rollers such that the interior surface is oriented toward the upper target and sputtering the upper target to deposit a coating directly on one of the interior surface of the glass or a film stack layer previously deposited on the interior surface of the glass;

positioning the sheet of glass on the transport rollers such that the exterior surface is oriented toward the lower target and sputtering the lower target to deposit a coating on one of the exterior surface of the glass or a film stack layer previously deposited on the exterior surface of the glass;

wherein the glass sheet is coated on both the interior surface and the exterior surface while maintaining a constant orientation wherein the interior surface is positioned above the exterior surface, and wherein a majority of the sputtering chambers of the sputtering line are downward sputtering chambers each having only an upper target with no target beneath the transport rollers.

8. A method of depositing film onto two sides of a single pane of glass in a single pass through a coating apparatus, comprising:

providing a sheet of glass having a clean interior surface and a clean exterior surface;

providing a sputtering line comprising a series of sputtering chambers, the sputtering line having a plurality of transport rollers for conveying the glass sheet along the sputtering line, the sputtering line having an upper target positioned above the transport rollers and a lower target positioned below the transport rollers;

positioning the sheet of glass on the transport rollers such that the interior surface is oriented toward the upper target and sputtering the upper target to deposit a coating directly on one of the interior surface of the glass or a film stack layer previously deposited on the interior surface of the glass;

positioning the sheet of glass on the transport rollers such that the exterior surface is oriented toward the lower target and sputtering the lower target to deposit a coating on one of the exterior surface of the glass or a film stack layer previously deposited on the exterior surface of the glass;

the glass sheet being coated on both the interior surface and the exterior surface while maintaining a constant orientation wherein the interior surface is positioned above the exterior surface, at least one of said coatings being a titanium oxide film.