Finishing Of Float Glass By Vacuum Coating Technologies

This paper reports on the status of high rate cathode sputtering methods for large area vacuum coating of architectural glass. The vacuum technology allows depositing of ultra thin films of superior optical quality that improve the optical properties of glass. In addition to describing the sputtering process itself, the major layer systems for architectural glass, their functions and properties are discussed. The paper also briefly reviews the market for vacuum-coated glass, the state-of-the-art in vacuum systems technology and the recent progress in deposition of thin films of SiO2 and Si3N4 by using a totally new type of cathode design - a medium-frequency-driven Twin Magnetron Cathode.