Method for rapid plasma treatments
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.
Claims8
A method for preparing a substrate with vapor barrier properties, useful for packaging applications, comprising:
- providing a polymer substrate;
- establishing a glow discharge plasma derived from a volatilized organosilicon compound, oxygen, and an inert gas within a chamber while maintaining a chamber pressure at less than about 0.1 torr;
- confining the plasma to a band having a distance .DELTA. in one dimension not greater than twelve inches, the distance .DELTA. defined between a plasma-facing, negatively biased surface, and an opposed, cooled shield;
- passing at least a portion of the substrate through the confined plasma for a time effective to deposit a silicon oxide based film having vapor barrier properties onto said substrate portion while communicating said negative bias to said substrate portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.