PROCESS FOR DEPOSITING FINELY DISPERSED ORGANIC-INORGANIC FILMS AND ARTICLES MADE THEREFROM

• US 20040121167A1
• Filed: 12/20/2002
• Published: 06/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SABIC Global Technologies BV (Government of Saudi Arabia)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: MIEBACH, Thomas, MERCEDES, Michael William, IACOVANGELO, Charles
• Granted Patent: US 7,163,749 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/447
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/009 Mixtures of organic and inorganic materials, e.g. ormosils and ormocers
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/34 with at least two coatings having different compositions C03C17/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/30 Deposition of compounds, mixtures or solid solutions, e.g. borides, carbides, nitrides
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/513 using plasma jets
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 428/913 Material designed to be responsive to temperature, light, moisture
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31663 As siloxane, silicone or silane

Abstract

A single hybrid organic-inorganic film. The film includes both an organic component, and an inorganic component. The organic component and inorganic component are well interspersed within the film. The film may be incorporated into a multilayer structure including a substrate. A method of forming a hybrid organic-inorganic film. The method includes generating a plasma stream with an expanding thermal plasma generator. The method also includes providing a first reactant and at least one second reactant into the plasma stream extending to a substrate, and forming the hybrid organic-inorganic film on the substrate.

Claims

1. A single hybrid organic-inorganic film comprising:

an organic component; and

an inorganic component, wherein the organic component and inorganic component are well interspersed within the film.

2. The film of claim 1, wherein the organic component comprises an octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4) organic component and the inorganic component comprises titanium oxide.

3. The film of claim 1, wherein the film comprises between 10% and 90% organic component by volume.

4. The film of claim 1, wherein the organic component comprises an abrasion resistant material and the inorganic component comprises an ultraviolet (UV) filter material.

5. The film of claim 4, wherein the film comprises between 10% and 90% organic component by volume.

6. The film of claim 1, wherein a first property is associated with the organic component and a second property is associated with the inorganic component, and one of the first and second properties remains substantially constant over a range of volume percents of respective organic and inorganic components.

7. The film of claim 6, wherein the second property is UV absorbency and the UV absorbency remains substantially constant over the range of volume percents of the inorganic component.

8. The film of claim 1, wherein a first property is associated with the organic component and a second property is associated with the inorganic component, and one of the first and second properties changes linearly with the volume percent of the respective organic and inorganic components over a range of volume percents.

9. The film of claim 8, wherein the first property is refractive index (RI) and the RI changes linearly with the volume percent of the inorganic component over the range of volume percents.

10. The film of claim 8, wherein the first property is a stress of the film and the stress changes linearly with the volume percent of the inorganic component over the range of volume percents.

11. A multilayer structure comprising:

a substrate; and

a hybrid organic-inorganic film, the hybrid organic-inorganic film comprising;

an organic component; and

an inorganic component, wherein the organic component and inorganic component are well interspersed within the film.

12. The structure of claim 11, further comprising:

an interlayer disposed between the substrate and the hybrid organic-inorganic film.

13. The structure of claim 11, further comprising:

an abrasion resistant layer disposed on the hybrid organic-inorganic film.

14. The structure of claim 11, further comprising:

at least one of an IR reflecting layer, an antireflecting layer, a transparent conducting oxide layer, and a moisture barrier.

15. The structure of claim 13, wherein the abrasion resistant layer comprises an octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4) organic component.

16. The structure of claim 11, wherein the substrate comprises a polymer.

17. The structure of claim 16, wherein the substrate comprises polycarbonate.

18. The structure of claim 11, wherein the organic component comprises an octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4) organic component and the inorganic component comprises titanium oxide.

19. The structure of claim 11, wherein the film comprises between 10% and 90% organic component by volume.

20. The structure of claim 11, wherein the organic component comprises an abrasion resistant material.

21. The film of claim 11, wherein the inorganic component comprises an ultraviolet (UV) filter material.

22. A method of forming a hybrid organic-inorganic film, the method comprising:

generating a plasma;

providing a first reactant and at least one second reactant into the plasma extending to a substrate; and

forming the hybrid organic-inorganic film on the substrate.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the generating a plasma comprises generating a plasma stream with an expanding thermal plasma generator.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the first reactant comprises TiCl₄ and the at least one second reactant comprises water vapor and octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4).

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the plasma comprises an Ar plasma.

26. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

supplying the first reactant into the plasma at a rate of between 0.1 and 10 μ

m, and the at least one second reactant into the plasma at a rate of 0.1 to 1 lpm.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

supplying the first reactant into the plasma at a rate of between 0.2 and 2 lpm, and the at least one second reactant into the plasma at a rate of 0.01 to 0.2 lpm.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein the hybrid organic-inorganic film comprises:

an organic component; and

an inorganic component, wherein the organic component and inorganic component are well interspersed within the film.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein the first reactant comprises a metal containing gas and the at least one second reactant comprises siloxane/organosilicon.

30. The method of claim 23, wherein the at least one second reactant further comprises water.

31. The method of claim 23, wherein the first reactant comprises a volatile titanium alkoxide or titanium halide and the second reactant comprises at least one of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4), tetramethyldisiloxane (TMDSO), and hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO).

32. The method of claim 28, wherein the film comprises between 10% and 90% organic component by volume.

33. The method of claim 28, wherein the organic component comprises an abrasion resistant material and the inorganic component comprises an ultraviolet (UV) filter material.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the film comprises between 10% and 90% organic component by volume.

35. The method of claim 28, wherein a first property is associated with the organic component and a second property is associated with the inorganic component, and one of the first and second properties remains substantially constant over a range of volume percents of respective organic and inorganic components.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the second property is UV absorbency and the UV absorbency remains substantially constant over the range of volume percents of the inorganic component.

37. The method of claim 28, wherein a first property is associated with the organic component and a second property is associated with the inorganic component, and one of the first and second properties changes linearly with the volume percent of the respective organic and inorganic components over a range of volume percents.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the first property is refractive index (RI) and the RI changes linearly with the volume percent of the inorganic component over the range of volume percents.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the first property is a stress of the film and the stress changes linearly with the volume percent of the inorganic component over the range of volume percents.