Application of diode boxes to reduce crazing in glass coatings

摘要

Systems, methods, and apparatus for reducing crazing in thin film stacks deposited on large area substrates, such as glass, eg, architectural glass, are disclosed. Creasing can occur once a conductor-insulator-conductor series of films is deposited, effectively forming a capacitor, where the substrate spans multiple deposition chambers, and such coupling between chambers results in an effective capacitor voltage. Can cause the dielectric layer between the two conductor layers to break. The resulting crazing can be reduced and otherwise eliminated through grounding of the outputs of the AC power supply to assist in the deposition of one of the conductor layers. Grounding is through rectified channels such as diodes, or series of diodes, so that it is impossible for the AC power supply to drop below the ground potential.