Vacuum deposition facility and method for coating a substrate

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11492695-B2
Application number	US-201915734911-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 23, 2019
Priority date	Jun 13, 2018
Publication date	Nov 8, 2022
Grant date	Nov 8, 2022

Abstract

A Method for continuously depositing, on a running substrate, coatings formed from at least one metal inside a vacuum deposition facility including a vacuum chamber; a substrate coated with at least one metal on both sides of the substrate having an average thickness, wherein the coating is deposited homogenously such that the maximum thickness of the coating can exceed the average thickness of 15% maximum. A vacuum deposition facility also is provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for continuously depositing, on a running substrate, coatings formed from at least one metal inside a vacuum deposition facility including a vacuum chamber, the method comprising the steps of:
ejecting, in the vacuum chamber, a metallic vapor through at least two vapor ejectors, towards both sides of the running substrate, a layer of at least one metal being formed on each of the both sides by condensation of ejected vapors, the at least two vapor ejectors facing each other being located on the both sides of the substrate and being positioned respectively with an angle α and α′ between the respective vapor ejector and a axis perpendicular to a running direction of the running substrate, the axis being in the plane of the substrate, α and α′ both satisfying the following equations:
( D 1 +D 2)+Le sin α+We cos α=Ws and

( D 1 +D 2)+Le sin α′+We cos α′=Ws

a and a′ in absolute value being above 0° and D1 and D2 being defined as a distance between the respective ejector edges and substrate edges along the axis, W s being the substrate width, D1 and D2 being above 0 mm so the respective ejector edges do not extend beyond the respective substrate edges, the vapor ejectors having an elongated shape and including a slot defined by a slot length Le and a slot width We, the vapor ejectors having a same rotation axis.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the distances between the ejector and the substrate edges D1 and D2 are above 1 mm.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the substrate width Ws is maximum of 2200 mm.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein Ws is minimum of 200 mm.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein α-α′ is less than 10° in absolute terms.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein α is between 5 and 80° in absolute terms.

7. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein α is between 20 and 60° in absolute terms.

8. The method as recited in claim 7 wherein α is between 35 and 55° in absolute terms.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the slot length Le is between 5 and 50 mm.

10. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the ejectors have a rectangular shape or a trapezoidal shape.

11. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein D1 is identical to D2.

12. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the vacuum chamber further comprises a central casing surrounding the substrate, the central casing including a substrate entry and a substrate exit located on two opposite sides of the central casing and at the least two vapor ejectors.

13. The method as recited in claim 12 wherein inner walls of the central casing are suited to be heated at a temperature above a condensation temperature of the metal or metal alloy vapors.

Assignees

• Arcelormittal

Inventors

• Silberberg Eric
• Pace Sergio
• Bonnemann Remy

Classifications

• C23C14/04

  Coating on selected surface areas, e.g. using masks · CPC title

• C23C14/562 Primary

  for coating elongated substrates · CPC title

• C23C14/34

  Sputtering · CPC title

• C23C14/16 Primary

  on metallic substrates or on substrates of boron or silicon · CPC title

• C23C14/24 Primary

  Vacuum evaporation · CPC title