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US 9,540,277 B2Granted
Apparatus for depositing thin film coatings and method of deposition utilizing such apparatus
AssigneePilkington Group Limited
InventorsDouglas M. Nelson, Ian R. Williams, Michel J. Soubeyrand, David A. Strickler, Kevin D. Sanderson, Yasunori Seto, Keiko Tsuri
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention relates to an apparatus for depositing thin film coatings on a substrate. The deposition apparatus is designed to keep gaseous reactant materials to be deposited apart from one another in the deposition apparatus, by one or more separation devices and/or methods, but nevertheless, to allow the chemical reactants to mix and react at or near the substrate surface, rapidly enough to create a uniform film at commercially viable deposition rates.
Claims15
An apparatus for depositing a thin film on a moving heated substrate comprising:
- a main coater body having a predetermined length, width and height designated as x, y, and z, respectively, and an upper surface z1 and a lower surface z2;
- a plurality of inlet openings formed in the upper surface z1, wherein each of the inlet openings allows a flow of a gaseous reactant or an inert gas there through and is in fluid communication with a source of the gaseous reactant or the inert gas;
- a plurality of outlet openings formed in or recessed from the lower surface z2 to allow the flows to exit there through in multiple predetermined flow streams, wherein each of the outlet openings of the plurality of outlet openings is arranged to be in a parallel, spaced apart relationship with the other outlet openings along the width y of the main coater body;
- a plurality of flow pathways defined within the main coater body, wherein a first flow pathway of the plurality of flow pathways is at least partially defined by a first sidewall of the main coater body and a first gas flow separator and a second flow pathway of the plurality of flow pathways is at least partially defined by a second sidewall of the main coater body and the first gas flow separator or another gas flow separator, the first flow pathway being defined between a first inlet opening of the plurality of inlet openings and a first outlet opening of the plurality of outlet openings and the second flow pathway being defined between a second inlet opening of the plurality of inlet openings and a second outlet opening of the plurality of outlet openings, the first flow pathway and the second flow pathway being arranged to be in a spaced apart relationship with each other along the width y of the main coater body;
- a first flow conditioner disposed in the first flow pathway, positioned between the first sidewall and the first gas flow separator, and disposed nearer the outlet opening of the first flow pathway than the inlet opening, and a second flow conditioner disposed in the second flow pathway, positioned between the second sidewall and the first gas flow separator or the another gas flow separator, and disposed nearer the outlet opening of the second flow pathway than the inlet opening;
- and
- a plurality of baffle blocks and cover blocks within the main coater body, wherein a first baffle block of the plurality of baffle blocks and a first cover block of the plurality of cover blocks disposed in the first flow pathway and positioned between the first sidewall and the first gas flow separator, wherein the first cover block is disposed at an end of the first flow pathway and the first baffle block is disposed between the first cover block and the first flow conditioner, and a second baffle block of the plurality of baffle blocks and a second cover block of the plurality of cover blocks disposed in the second flow pathway and positioned between the first gas flow separator or the another gas flow separator, wherein the second cover block is disposed at an end of the second flow pathway and the second baffle block is disposed between the second cover block and the second flow conditioner;
- wherein each of the plurality of flow pathways has an identical straight flow pathway portion formed by each of the gas flow separators, the cover blocks and the baffle blocks, and a narrowing flow pathway portion formed by each of the gas flow separators, the baffle blocks and flow conditioners.
5 more elements
An apparatus for use in a coater in a float glass system for depositing a thin film on a moving heated glass substrate, the apparatus comprising:
- a main coater body having a predetermined length, width and height designated as x, y, and z, respectively, and an upper surface z1 and a lower surface z2;
- a plurality of inlet openings formed in the upper surface z1, wherein each of the inlet openings allows a flow of a gaseous reactant or an inert gas therethrough and is in fluid communication with a source of the gaseous reactant or the inert gas;
- a plurality of outlet openings formed in or recessed from the lower surface z2 to allow the flows to exit therethrough in multiple predetermined flow streams, wherein each of the outlet openings of the plurality of outlet openings is arranged to be in a parallel, spaced apart relationship with the other outlet openings along the width y of the main coater body;
- a plurality of flow pathways defined within the main coater body, wherein a first flow pathway of the plurality of flow pathways is at least partially defined by a first sidewall of the main coater body and a first gas flow separator and a second flow pathway of the plurality of flow pathways is at least partially defined by a second sidewall of the main coater body and the first gas flow separator or another gas flow separator, the first flow pathway being defined between a first inlet opening of the plurality of inlet openings and a first outlet opening of the plurality of outlet openings and the second flow pathway being defined between a second inlet opening of the plurality of inlet openings and a second outlet opening of the plurality of outlet openings, the first flow pathway and the second flow pathway being arranged to be in a spaced apart relationship with each other along the width y of the main coater body;
- a first flow conditioner disposed in the first flow pathway and positioned between the first sidewall and the first gas flow separator closer to the outlet opening of the first flow pathway than the inlet opening, and a second flow conditioner disposed in the second flow pathway and positioned between the second sidewall and the first gas flow separator or the another gas flow separator closer to the outlet opening of the second flow pathway than the inlet opening;
- and
- a plurality of baffle blocks and cover blocks within the main coater body, wherein a first baffle block of the plurality of baffle blocks and a first cover block of the plurality of cover blocks disposed in the first flow pathway and positioned between the first sidewall and the first gas flow separator, wherein the first cover block is disposed at an end of the first flow pathway and the first baffle block is disposed between the first cover block and the first flow conditioner, and a second baffle block of the plurality of baffle blocks and a second cover block of the plurality of cover blocks disposed in the second flow pathway and positioned between the first gas flow separator or the another gas flow separator, wherein the second cover block is disposed at an end of the second flow pathway and the second baffle block is disposed between the second cover block and the second flow conditioner;
- wherein each of the plurality of flow pathways has an identical straight flow pathway portion formed by each of the gas flow separators, the cover blocks and the baffle blocks, and a narrowing flow pathway portion formed by each of the gas flow separators, the baffle blocks and flow conditioners.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.