DEPOSITION OF SINGLE OR MULTIPLE LAYERS ON SUBSTRATES FROM DILUTE GAS SWEEP TO PRODUCE OPTICAL COMPONENTS, ELECTRO-OPTICAL COMPONENTS, AND THE LIKE

摘要

A very thin layer is deposited from a dilute gas sweep onto suitable substrates including glass, metal, plastic, etc., in an atmospheric pressure process. Moderate temperatures, i.e., between 100 DEG C and 300 DEG C, can be used, although higher temperatures are sometimes useful. For example, in a preferred embodiment for manufacturing a multiple layer optical component, e.g., a dichroic filter, relatively small amounts of gaseous deposition precursors or reactants are thoroughly admixed in a large volume of high velocity gas stream to provide a relatively dilute, gas-vapor deposition stream. To produce alternating layers, two different dilute high velocity gas streams are alternately introduced into a relatively large atmospheric pressure coating chamber containing a plurality of substrates, which substrates are preheated to a deposition temperature of about 200 DEG C.