Ion beam for enhancing optical properties of materials
AssigneeVarian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc.
InventorGary L. Viviani
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Abstract
A system and method to expose a material to an ion beam during a continuous material production process may include a vacuum fixture to form the ion beam and a slit in the fixture to allow at least a portion of the ion beam to exit the fixture through the slit. The material can be placed in contact with an exterior area of the fixture so as to cover the slit. With the material in place, the vacuum within the fixture may be maintained and the ion beam formed. The material over the slit can be exposed to the ion beam. As the continuous process moves material past the slit, the vacuum within the vacuum fixture may help to maintain the material in contact with the fixture.
Claims14
A method for exposing a continuous length of a polymer film or an amorphous solid to an ion beam from a vacuum fixture, comprising:
- (a) providing a slit in the vacuum fixture allowing at least a portion of the ion beam to exit the vacuum fixture through the slit;
- and
- (b) placing a predetermined length of the polymer film or amorphous solid in contact with an exterior area of the vacuum fixture to cover the slit to maintain a vacuum within the vacuum fixture and to expose the predetermined length of the polymer film or amorphous solid to the at least portion of the ion beam exiting the vacuum fixture for altering optical properties on the predetermined length of the polymer film or amorphous solid to facilitate alignment of liquid crystals by the polymer film or amorphous solid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.