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US 2008/0223715 A1Published application
Coating of Optical Substrates Using Closed Field System
AssigneeApplied Multilayers Limited
InventorsDesmond Gibson, John Michael Walls
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AssigneeApplied Multilayers Limited
InventorsDesmond Gibson, John Michael Walls
Estimating the term…
The invention relates to apparatus and a method for depositing material onto substrates, particularly optical substrates, to form a coating thereon. The apparatus and method incorporates the use of a series of magnetrons provided to be controlled to sputter deposit material provided in targets mounted therein, on to the substrates. There is provided a voltage to the magnetrons to operate the same and the level of voltage which is required to form required coating or coating layer characteristics is determined by using monitoring apparatus, at least when forming the coating or coating layer for the first time. The appropriate voltage level data for operation of the magnetrons can be held in a database and subsequently used to control the voltage level when forming an identified coating or layers of coatings.
1-36. (canceled)
An apparatus for the application of material from targets of unbalanced magnetrons, said magnetrons mounted in a closed field configuration in a deposition chamber and in or through which at least one substrate to be coated is moved so as to allow the material deposited by selective reactive sputtering from the targets of the magnetrons to be deposited thereon and, during the application of the coating, the magnetrons which are not being used to deposit material onto the substrates are held in either an off condition or are located behind a shutter wherein said apparatus includes monitoring apparatus to allow the determination and control of a particular voltage level which is required to be supplied to each of the magnetrons to allow the effective deposition of material from the target of each magnetron when the magnetron is being operated to deposit material onto the at least one substrate, said substrates and holder held at floating potential during the application of the coating material.
A method for the application of one or a number of layers of material onto at least one substrate to form a coating thereon, said substrate being of an optical type, said method comprising the steps of placing the substrates to be coated onto a holder, placing said holder so as to be moved within a deposition chamber, providing control means for at least first and second unbalanced magnetrons mounted within the deposition chamber, moving said substrate holder within said deposition chamber and selectively operating said magnetrons within the chamber to deposit material from a target associated with each of said magnetrons onto the substrate by reactive sputtering so as to form a coating of the required type, said unbalanced magnetrons arranged in a closed field configuration and wherein a monitoring step is performed for a coating or at least one of the coating layers to allow the determination of the particular voltage level which is required to be supplied to each magnetron to achieve the required control of deposition of material from the magnetron within the deposition chamber and, during the subsequent operation of said magnetrons when sputter depositing material onto the substrate, to form said coating or at least one coating layer, they are operated with the said voltage level which has been determined for each of said magnetrons controlled and during the application of the coating material the substrates and holder are maintained at floating potential.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.