Method of and apparatus for control of reactive sputtering deposition
AssigneePPG Industries, Inc.
InventorF. Howard Gillery
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for the control of reactive sputtering deposition of oxide-containing films, including the monitoring of and maintaining the constancy of the deposition rate and total pressure of the system by adjustment of the oxygen and argon input flow rates. Deposition rate is monitored by an activated quartz crystal, and behave as a sensitive function of actual oxygen partial pressure. Stoichiometry, optical and electrical properties of the oxide-containing films are therefore controllable by maintaining constant oxygen partial pressure.
Claims14
A method of producing a transparent electroconductive article comprising the steps of:
- a. magnetically sputtering an inner transparent film of titanium oxide onto a transparent substrate surface, said magnetic sputtering conducted in an evacuated environment having partial pressures of oxygen and a chemically inert gas to produce a film having an optical extinction coefficient in the range between about 0.03 and about 0.3;
- b. depositing a substantially transparent electroconductive film onto the inner titanium oxide film;
- and
- c. magnetically sputtering an outer transparent film of titanium oxide onto said electroconductive film, said outer film magnetically sputtered in an evacuated environment having partial pressures of oxygen and a chemically inert gas to produce a film having an optical extinction coefficient less than about 0.3.
A method of producing a transparent electroconductive article comprising the steps of:
- a. magnetically sputtering an inner transparent film of titanium oxide onto a transparent substrate surface, said magnetic sputtering conducted in an evacuated environment having partial pressures of oxygen and a chemically inert gas controlled to produce a film having greater than 1.7 but less than 2.0 parts oxygen to parts titanium.
- b. depositing a transparent electroconductive film onto the inner titanium oxide film;
- and
- c. magnetically sputtering an outer transparent film of titanium oxide onto said electroconductive film, said outer film magnetically sputtered in an evacuated environment having partial pressures of oxygen and a chemically inert gas to produce a film having an optical extinction coefficient less than about 0.3.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.