Apparatus for rapid plasma treatments and method
AssigneeThe BOC Group, Inc.
InventorsJohn T. Felts, Hood Chatham, III, Joseph Countrywood, Robert J. Nelson
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Abstract
A plasma treating apparatus is useful for coating substrates with thin films having vapor barrier properties at relatively rapid deposition rates. The apparatus comprises an evacuable chamber, an electrically powered electrode defining a plasma-facing surface within the chamber, and a shield spaced a distance .DELTA. transverse to the plasma-facing surface. During plasma treatments, the plasma is confined to within distance .DELTA. while a substrate is continuously fed through the confined plasma.
Claims19
A plasma treating apparatus comprising:
- an evacuable chamber;
- means for forming a plasma within the chamber, the plasma forming means including an electrically powered electrode defining a plasma-facing surface within the chamber;
- means for communicating electricity from the electrode to a substrate when the substrate is within the chamber by placing the plasma-facing surface into rolling contact with the substrate and for exposing a continuously changeable portion of the substrate to plasma during plasma treatment;
- and,
- means for confining the plasma adjacent to the continuously changeable substrate portion, the confining means including a grounded shield.
The apparatus as in claim 7 wherein the magnetic means includes at least one magnetic pole pair positioned adjacent to the shield.
A thin film coating apparatus comprising:
- a chamber evacuable to less than about 0.1 torr;
- means for forming a plasma within the chamber from a film-forming gas stream, the film forming gas stream capable of depositing an adherent coating onto a substrate;
- means for confining the plasma to a continuously changeable portion of a substrate being fed through the chamber during coating thereof and to within a distance .DELTA. outward therefrom, the confining means including a grounded shield;
- and
- means for negatively biasing the substrate portion being coated with respect to the chamber and with respect to the grounded shield.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.