| SPECIAL APPLICATIONS Glass presents us with plenty of challenges: how can tried and tested technologies be adapted for the future, how will they satisfy new requirements? With an understanding of the material, Research & Development looks constructively for the best possible solution in close consultation with our customers. FLABEG redefines the properties of the glass every time. FLABEG is an expert in all thin-film technologies applicable to glass: • Metallic coatings • Highly transparent oxide coatings • Nitride coatings • Composite films from defined ratios of oxygen and nitrogen • Transparent and conductive coatings, e.g. ITO Other surface and glass finishes, such as spray coatings, screen printing, edge finishing or laser technology perfect the result in terms of product design. “COATING” – OUR PORTFOLIO AT A GLANCE FLABEG has 10 coating plants: • 9 high-performance cathode sputtering plants (HCS) • 1 electron beam evaporation plant (EBC) • FLABEG can coat virtually any type of glass • (plastics such as PMMA are currently in the development phase) • Substrate thicknesses of 0.7 mm – 10.0 mm can be coated with ease • Substrates of up to 2,700.0 x 1,800.0 mm can be coated seamlessly • Chemically or thermally pre-treated glass can be coated without any problems • From single-layer solutions (e.g. chrome) to 24-layer solutions (filter glass) • we can adapt our layer systems to suit the specific wishes and needs of our • customers • FLABEG offers the advantages of vertical as well as horizontal coating plants • Substrates can be pre-heated prior to the coating process TECHNOLOGIES Our thin-film technology produces excellent results that our competitors would be hard pressed to imitate: FLABEG uses Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) processes. PVD is a group of high-vacuum coating processes that produce thin films in the range of several nanometers – primarily optically functional layers. FLABEG uses the following PVD processes: • Electron beam evaporation • Sputtering as well as reactive versions of these processes. Electron beam evaporation: With this coating process, a high-energy electron beam is used to evaporate granular coating material contained in crucibles. The evaporated material fans out in a vapor stream that is then deposited on the glass substrates above the crucibles. This condensation forms the film. With the aid of rotating, multiple-pocket crucibles that can be furnished with different coating materials, it is possible to deposit multiple layers in a single coating cycle. The coating structure can be controlled by selecting coating parameters and adjusting the substrate temperature. Precise in-situ control of the coating process (for example, deactivation of the electron gun when the requisite transmission value is reached) makes it possible to produce high-precision optically functional layers, such as beam splitters with different transmission and reflection values. FLABEG performs electron beam evaporation in batch mode. In addition to metals and oxides in a reactive atmosphere, fluorides and sulphides can also be evaporated. Sputtering: The magnetron sputtering process is based on a continuous argon gas discharge, known as plasma. Low-pressure plasma is ignited by a high voltage of up to 1000 V. The target material attached to the magnetron is evaporated by a beam of argon ions and deposited onto the glass surface in a thin, even, compact layer. In the case of non-reactive sputtering processes, such as the sputtering of metal films, the sputtered cathode material is deposited directly onto the glass surface. With reactive sputtering, oxides or nitrides react with reactive gases before being deposited on the glass surface. Dual magnetrons improve efficiency The state-of-the-art vacuum coating system performs both reactive and non-reactive sputtering in a single coating process. Dual magnetrons can be used for the efficient and economical production of highly insulating, highly resistant silicon oxide films that serve as a basic material for optically functional layers – such as anti-reflective systems – while also meeting the highest quality standards. |
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