Coater having substrate cleaning device and coating deposition methods employing such coater
First Claim
1. A method of processing a sheet-like substrate, the method comprising:
- a) providing a coater adapted for applying coating onto the substrate, the coater comprising a substrate support defining a path of substrate travel extending through the coater, a downward coating apparatus positioned above the path of substrate travel, and an ion gun positioned beneath the path of substrate travel, wherein the ion gun is at a location further along the path of substrate travel than the downward coating apparatus;
b) conveying the substrate along the path of substrate travel;
c) operating the downward coating apparatus to coat a top major surface of the substrate; and
d) operating the ion gun to emit an ion beam toward a bottom major surface of the substrate, said operation of the ion gun being performed to remove from the bottom major surface of the substrate any oversprayed coating that was inadvertently deposited upon marginal portions of the bottom major surface of the substrate during said operation of the downward coating apparatus.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A coater having a substrate cleaning device is disclosed. Also disclosed are methods of processing substrates in a coater equipped with a substrate cleaning device. The substrate cleaning device comprises an ion gun (i.e., an ion source) that is positioned beneath a path of substrate travel (e.g., beneath a substrate support) extending through the coater and that is adapted for treating a bottom major surface of a substrate. Certain embodiments involve an upward coating apparatus that is further along the path of substrate travel than the substrate cleaning device. In some embodiments of this nature, the upward coating apparatus is configured for depositing a photocatalytic coating upwardly onto the bottom major surface of the substrate. Certain embodiments of the invention involve a downward coating apparatus, wherein the substrate cleaning device is further along the path of substrate travel than the downward coating apparatus. Some embodiments of this nature also involve an upward coating apparatus that is further along the path of substrate travel than the substrate cleaning device.
77 Citations
47 Claims
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1. A method of processing a sheet-like substrate, the method comprising:
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a) providing a coater adapted for applying coating onto the substrate, the coater comprising a substrate support defining a path of substrate travel extending through the coater, a downward coating apparatus positioned above the path of substrate travel, and an ion gun positioned beneath the path of substrate travel, wherein the ion gun is at a location further along the path of substrate travel than the downward coating apparatus;
b) conveying the substrate along the path of substrate travel;
c) operating the downward coating apparatus to coat a top major surface of the substrate; and
d) operating the ion gun to emit an ion beam toward a bottom major surface of the substrate, said operation of the ion gun being performed to remove from the bottom major surface of the substrate any oversprayed coating that was inadvertently deposited upon marginal portions of the bottom major surface of the substrate during said operation of the downward coating apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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- 22. A coater adapted for applying coating onto a sheet-like substrate, the coater comprising a substrate support defining a path of substrate travel extending through the coater, a downward coating apparatus positioned above the path of substrate travel and adapted for coating a top major surface of the substrate, and an ion gun positioned beneath the path of substrate travel and adapted for cleaning a bottom major surface of the substrate, wherein the ion gun is at a location further along the path of substrate travel than the downward coating apparatus such that the ion gun is adapted to remove from the bottom major surface of the substrate oversprayed coating inadvertently deposited upon marginal portions of the bottom major surface of the substrate during operation of the downward coating apparatus.
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39. A method of processing a sheet-like substrate, the method comprising:
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a) providing a coater adapted for applying coating onto the substrate, the coater comprising a substrate support defining a path of substrate travel extending through the coater, wherein an ion gun is positioned beneath the path of substrate travel, and wherein an upward coating apparatus is positioned beneath the path of substrate travel at a location further along the path of substrate travel than the ion gun;
b) conveying the substrate along the path of substrate travel;
c) operating the ion gun to emit an ion beam toward a bottom major surface of the substrate, the ion beam comprising accelerated ions that strike the bottom major surface of the substrate; and
d) operating the upward coating apparatus to deposit a photocatalytic coating on the bottom major surface of the substrate. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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47. A coater adapted for applying coating onto a sheet-like substrate, the coater comprising a substrate support defining a path of substrate travel extending through the coater, wherein an ion gun is positioned beneath the path of substrate travel, and wherein an upward coating apparatus is positioned beneath the path of substrate travel at a location further along the path of substrate travel than the ion gun, the upward coating apparatus comprising a lower sputtering target comprising a titanium-containing target material.
Specification