METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE HIGH RATE AUTOMATED MANUFACTUREOF THIN FILMS

• Main Authors: DOBROWOLSKI, JERZY A, CLARKE, GLENN A, SULLIVAN, BRIAN THOMAS, ITO, TAKASHI, AKIYAMA, TAKAYUKI
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 12.07.2005
• Edition: 6
• Subjects: CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; CHEMISTRY; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATIONOR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY IONIMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION INGENERAL; LAYERED PRODUCTS; LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT ORNON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM; METALLURGY; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THESURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; TRANSPORTING

A method is described for depositing a complex optical multilayer coating on a substrate. The coating consists of multiple layers of at least two material types. The layers are sequentially deposited in a deposition chamber by reactive deposition; preferably sputtering, and the thickness of the deposited layers is determined one or more times during the layer deposition by taking optical measurements of the deposited layer and fitting theoretical values derived from a model of the deposited layers to t he corresponding actual values obtained from said measurements. A process variable is continually controlled to ensure homogeneity of the deposited layers so that a valid thickness determination can be made from said theoretical model.