The instant invention relates to a mirror that may be used in the context of projection televisions (PTVs), copiers, scanners, bar code readers, overhead projectors, and/or any other suitable applications. In certain embodiments, the mirror is a first surface (FSM) including a reflecting layer comprising a visible light reflecting material such as aluminum (Al). At least part of the reflecting layer is oxide graded, continuously or discontinuously, progressively or non-progressively, so that the reflecting layer is more oxided at one or both sides thereof than at a central portion thereof which may or may not be oxided. In other words, the reflecting layer is more metallic at a central portion thereof, and more oxided at the top and/or bottom portion(s) thereof. The reflective layer (e.g., using as the visible light reflecting material Al, Cr, Ni, Cu, mixtures thereof, and/or the like) may be covered by at least one dielectric layer(s) such as SiO2 and/or TiO2, although other suitable dielectric materials may also or instead be used. The metal in the top/bottom metal oxide layer portion(s) is the same metal as the metal in the metallic central portion of the reflecting layer, thereby improving durability and manufacturability. Thus, when the central portion of the reflective layer is of metallic Al, then the top and/or bottom metal oxide portions of the reflective layer are of an oxide of Al. As another example, when the central portion of the reflective layer is of metallic Cr, then the top and/or bottom metal oxide portions of the reflective layer are of an oxide of Cr.
Reflective layer 3 may be based on aluminum (Al) or any other suitable light reflective material provided in sufficient thickness to reflect substantial amounts of visible light for mirror applications. Reflective layer 3 reflects the majority of incoming visible light before it reaches glass substrate 1 and directs it toward a viewer or the like away from the glass substrate, so that the mirror is referred to as a first surface mirror. In certain embodiments, reflective layer 3 has an index of refraction value “n” (at 550 nm) of from about 0.05 to 1.5, more preferably from about 0.05 to 1.0. When layer 3 is based on Al, the index of refraction “n” of the layer 3 may be about 0.8 to 1.25, more preferably from about 0.8 to 0.9, but it also may be as low as about 0.1 when the layer 3 is of Ag for instance. In certain example embodiments of this invention, the reflective layer 3 may be sputtered onto the substrate 1 using one or more C-MAG rotatable cathode sputtering targets (e.g., the sputtering material of the targets is Al when the layer 3 is based on Al; such Al targets may or may not be doped with other material in different instances); an example sputtering power/pressure which may be used is 6 kW per C-MAG power, and a pressure of 3 mTorr. Reflective layer 3 in certain embodiments of this invention has an average (p- and/or s-polarization in certain instances) reflectance of at least about 75% in the 550 nm region as measured on a Perkin Elmer Lambda 900 or equivalent spectrophotometer, more preferably at least 80% at any incident angle. Moreover, in certain embodiments of this invention, reflective layer 3 need not be completely opaque, as it may have a small transmission in the aforesaid wavelength region of from 0.1 to 10%, more preferably from about 0.5 to 1.5%.
Reflective layer 3 may be from about 30-150 nm thick in certain embodiments of this invention, more preferably from about 30-90 nm thick, even more preferably from about 35-60 nm thick, with an example thickness being about 40 nm when Al is used as the base metal for layer 3.
Dielectric layers 9 and 11 may be made of any suitable material, although in certain example embodiments of this invention dielectric layer 9 is of or includes silicon oxide (e.g., SiO2, or other suitable stoichiometry) and layer 11 is of or includes titanium oxide (e.g., TiO2, or other suitable stoichiometry).
In certain example embodiments of this invention, dielectric layer 11 has a higher index of refraction “n” than does dielectric layer 9; and layer 9 has a higher index of refraction “n” than does reflective layer 3. In certain example embodiments, layer 11 has an index of refraction “n” of from about 2.2 to 2.6, more preferably from about 2.3 to 2.5; dielectric layer 9 has an index “n” of from about 1.4 to 1.8, more preferably from about 1.4 to 1.6; and reflective layer 3 has an index “n” of from about 0.1 to 1.2, more preferably from about 0.8 to 1.25.
As shown in
In certain example embodiments of this invention, it has been found that providing metal oxide (e.g., aluminum oxide) in layer portion 3b immediately under and contacting the metallic or substantially metallic reflective layer portion 3a (e.g., of Al) allows for the durability of the resulting mirror to be significantly improved. In particular, the aforesaid durability problems of the
In certain example embodiments of this invention, at least a portion of the metal oxide layer portion 3b (and/or 3c) has in index of refraction (n) of from about 0.5 to 2, more preferably from 0.8 to 1.7, even more preferably from about 1.2 to 1.6 (layer portion 3c has the same index range when oxided).
In certain example embodiments of this invention, the layer portion 3b (and/or 3c) which may be of or include aluminum oxide may be oxidation graded. Oxidation graded means that the level of oxygen changes at different points in the layer portion thickness. In oxidation graded embodiments, the Al (and/or other metal M) ratio or amount should be higher at a location in layer portion 3b (and/or 3c) closer to the metallic or more metallic layer portion 3a, and lower at a location farther from 3a. The oxidation grading of layer portions 3b and/or 3c may be continuously progressive in a linear manner in certain example embodiments, or alternatively may be step-like in other example embodiments, so as to become more metallic toward metallic portion 3a. In certain example embodiments, the oxidation graded portion 3b may be substantially fully oxided immediately adjacent to the glass substrate 1 and substantially metallic immediately adjacent to the metallic or substantially metallic layer portion 3a. Likewise, if desired, the oxidation graded portion 3c may be substantially fully oxided immediately adjacent to layer 9 and substantially metallic immediately adjacent to the metallic or substantially metallic layer portion 3a.
In certain example embodiments of this invention, metallic or substantially metallic layer portion 3a may be at least about 30 nm thick and/or may represent at least about 50% (more preferably at least about 70%) of the reflective layer 3. In certain example embodiments of this invention, each of the oxide layer portions 3b and/or 3c may be from about 1-10 nm thick, more preferably from about 1-5 nm thick.
In certain example embodiments of this invention, layer portion(s) 3b and/or 3c may be at least 50% oxidized, more preferably at least 70% oxidized, and most preferably at least 80% oxidized (even 100% oxidized in certain embodiments). Meanwhile, metallic central layer portion 3a is preferably no more than about 20% oxided/oxidized, more preferably no more than 10% oxidized, and most preferably no more than 5% oxidized (and is preferably 0% oxidized in certain example embodiments). In certain example embodiments, layer portion 3a may be purely metallic.
Other layer(s) below or above the illustrated coating may also be provided. Thus, while the layer system shown in
By arranging the respective materials and indices of refraction “n” of the example layers discussed above, it is possible to achieve a scratch and/or corrosion resistant, and thus durable, first surface mirror. Moreover, the first surface mirror may have a visible reflection of at least about 80%, more preferably of at least about 85%, still more preferably of at least 90%, and even at least about 95% in certain embodiments of this invention. Moreover, the mirror has a visible transmission of no more than about 7%, more preferably no more than about 5%, and most preferably no more than about 3% or 2% in certain example embodiments of this invention.
Referring to
In an in-line sputtering apparatus, the deposition rate of a layer starts very slowly in the first low flux area 20 when a part of the underlying substrate 1 approaches the metal cathode(s)/target(s) 15, and gradually reaches a peak layer forming rate in the high flux area 30 as that part of the substrate 1 makes its way to a position directly under the cathode(s)/target(s) 15. After that part of the substrate 1 leaves the high flux area 30 under the cathode(s)/target(s) 15, the deposition rate for the layer gradually diminishes as that part of the substrate 1 reaches and proceeds through the second low flux area 40 which is typically located slightly beyond the target(s) 15.
Taking these areas of varying flux into account,
Due to the different deposition rates between the different regions 20, 30 and 40 (highest deposition rate proximate high flux area 30, and lowest deposition rates proximate low flux areas 20 and 40), the reflective layer 3 grows at a very slow rate in the low flux areas 20 and 40, and at a very fast or maximum rate in the high flux area 30. The metallic layer portion 3a (e.g., Al) is formed in the high flux area 30, and the metal oxide layer portions 3b and 3c (e.g., Al oxide) are formed in the low flux areas 20 and 40 respectively. This enables reflective layer 3, including oxidation grading between layer portions 3a-3c, to be formed without needing an additional sputtering target(s) directed toward each metal oxide portion, which can significantly reduce hardware costs and potentially frees cathode positions for other layer(s) in that or other coating(s). In the high flux region 30 directly under the cathode(s)/target(s), since the deposition rate here is high, this portion of the reflective layer 3 contains little or no oxygen.
As will be appreciated from the figures, other gas(es) (e.g., an inert gas such as Ar) are also used in combination with the oxygen in the low flux areas 20, 40; in certain example embodiments of this invention the ratio of argon gas to oxygen gas (argon:oxygen) in regions 20 and 40 is from 2:1 to 20:1, more preferably from 3:1 to 10:1. Thus, more inert gas than reactive oxygen gas is typically provided in the low flux areas 20, 40. Amounts of oxygen gas used in regions 20, 40 according to certain embodiments of this invention are not enough to cause significant oxidation in central layer portion 3a of reflective layer 3; however, due to the effective slow deposition rates in the low flux areas as the substrate approaches and leaves the cathode(s)/target(s) T, the upper/top and lower/bottom layer portions 3c and 3b of layer 3 may still be significantly oxidized and can serve to improve durability of the mirror as explained herein.
In certain example instances, the amount of oxygen gas used in the low flux areas 20 and/or 40 may be used in determining the thickness of oxide layer portions 3b and/or 3c relative to more metallic layer portion 3a (i.e., the more oxygen gas used in low flux areas 20 and/or 40, the thicker oxide portions 3b, 3c get and the thinner central metallic portion 3a becomes assuming a common line speed). Moreover, the thickness and oxidation amount(s) of layer portions 3b and/or 3c can also or instead be adjusted and/or influenced by chamber design, gas distribution, cathode power (kW), argon gas flow, oxygen gas flow, line speed, and/or the like. It is noted that other gases (e.g., nitrogen) may be used in combination with the oxygen and/or argon in certain embodiments of this invention. It is noted that the term “oxygen” when used to describe a gas herein includes pure O2 gas as well as other oxygen inclusive gases such as CO2, NO, SO2, or the like which may also be used to introduce oxygen gas into areas 20 and/or 40 in order to form oxide layer portions 3b and/or 3c.
Certain examples of this invention have been made as shown in
While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, the coatings discussed herein may in some instances be used in back surface mirror applications, different materials may be used, additional or fewer layers may be provided, and/or the like.