Latest innovations in large area web coating technology via plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition source technology

In this article, the authors discuss the latest results of our development of large area plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) source technologies for flexible substrates. A significant challenge is the economical application of thin films for use as vapor barriers, transparent conductive oxides, and optical interference thin films. Here at General Plasma the authors have developed two innovative PECVD source technologies that provide an economical alternative to low temperature sputtering technologies and enable some thin film materials not accessible by sputtering. The Penning Discharge Plasma (PDP™) source is designed for high rate direct PECVD deposition on insulating, temperature sensitive web [J. Modocks, Proceedings of the Society of Vacuum Coaters, 2003 (unpublished), p. 187]. This technology has been utilized to deposit $SiO2$ and SiC:H for barrier applications [V. Shamamian et al. Proceedings of the Flexible Displays and Manufacturing Conferrence, 2006 (unpublished)]. The Plasma Beam Source (PBS™) is a remote plasma source that is more versatile for deposition on not only insulating flexible substrates but also conductive or rigid substrates for deposition of thin films that are sensitive to the high ion bombardment flux inherent to the PDP™ technology. The authors have developed PBS thin film processes in our laboratory for deposition of $SiO2$⁠, SiC:O, SiN:C, SiN:H, ZnO, $FeOx$⁠, and $Al2O3$⁠. [M. A. George, Conference Proceedings of the Association of Industrial Metallizers, Coaters, and Laminators (AIMCAL), 2007 (unpublished)]. The authors discuss the design of the patented sources, plasma physics, and chemistry of the deposited thin films.