EP4363634A1

EP4363634A1 - Substrate coated with at least one diamond-like carbon layer protected by a germanium or germanium oxide temporary layer

Info

Publication number: EP4363634A1
Application number: EP22747080.4A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Jean-Thomas FONNE; Denis Guimard; Lorenzo MANCINI; Nadia ZENID
Original assignee: Saint Gobain Glass France SAS; Compagnie de Saint Gobain SA
Current assignee: Saint Gobain Glass France SAS; Compagnie de Saint Gobain SA
Priority date: 2021-06-30
Filing date: 2022-06-29
Publication date: 2024-05-08
Also published as: FR3124805B1; BR112023027053A2; MX2024000042A; WO2023275493A1; US20240318317A1; FR3124805A1; CO2024000500A2

Abstract

The present invention relates to a substrate coated with a stack of layers comprising the following series of layers, starting from the surface of said substrate: - a layer of diamond-like carbon DLC; - a germanium or germanium oxide layer having a thickness of between 2 and 40 nm, preferably between 2 and 20 nm, said germanium or germanium oxide layer comprising less than 20% tin; and - optionally, an oxygen barrier layer. The present invention also relates to a method for manufacturing a heat-treated substrate coated with a stack of layers, as described above, comprising at least one layer of diamond-like carbon DLC.

Description

DESCRIPTION

TITLE OF THE INVENTION: Substrate coated with at least one layer of diamond-like carbon protected by a temporary layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide

The present invention relates to a substrate provided with a coating or a stack of layers comprising at least one layer of diamond-like carbon (also called "Diamond Like Carbon", in English, or "DLC"), on which is deposited at least one temporary protection layer (also called sacrificial layer) which is a layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide having a thickness of between 2 and 40 nm, said layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide comprising an amount of tin less than 20%. The invention also relates to the method of manufacturing a heat-treated substrate which is coated with a stack of layers comprising at least one layer of diamond-like carbon.

Thin diamond-like carbon layers (denoted “DLC layer”) are known to improve the scratch resistance of the underlying substrate by substantially reducing its surface friction coefficient and also to increase its hardness. These so-called “DLC” amorphous carbon layers can comprise carbon atoms in a mixture of sp2 and sp3 hybridization states.

There is also an abundant literature on methods of producing DLC coatings. For example, document WO 2004/071981 A1 describes a process for depositing DLC layers by ion beam. Document CN 104962914 A describes a vapor phase deposition device for the industrial production of DLC layers. CN 105441871 A relates to a high performance physical vapor deposition and pulsed magnetron sputtering device for the production of thick DLC coatings. Document WO 2016/171627 A1 relates to the coating of a substrate comprising a carbon layer of the DLC type, which is formed by means of physical vapor deposition, for example by means of high-speed pulse magnetron sputtering. Powerful. JP 2011068940 A relates to a method for producing abrasion resistant DLC layers. In many applications, it is necessary that the substrates comprising coatings of the DLC layer type be heat treated. For example, in the case of glass substrates, it may involve thermal toughening treatment intended to mechanically reinforce the substrate by creating high compressive stresses on its surface. However, DLC coatings are not stable at high temperatures, especially under an oxygen atmosphere. Indeed, at high temperatures the DLC amorphous carbon layers undergo dramatic structural changes, even going so far as to “burn”. Thus, DLC coatings deposited on glass substrates undergoing heat treatments requiring temperatures of up to 800°C, under an oxygen atmosphere, such as tempering, annealing or bending, simply disappear if they are not not protected from oxidation.

Two main methods are known to provide heat treatment resistant DLC layers. The first method is based on the silicon doping of the DLC layers themselves in order to improve the resistance to high temperatures during a heat treatment. In the other method, additional protective layers (so-called sacrificial layers) that can be removed are used to protect the DLC layer against oxygen in order to prevent the burning of the DLC layer during the heat treatment. These protective layers can also be removed after the heat treatment.

Thus, document US 7060322 B2 describes a glass substrate provided with a coating in which the DLC layer is provided with a protective layer of zirconium nitride. The protective layer prevents the DLC layer from burning off significantly and can be removed after heat treatment. Document US8580336 B2 describes a coating of a glass substrate comprising a DLC layer, in which a first and a second inorganic layer are placed on the DLC layer. The first layer includes zinc oxide and nitrogen. Document US 20080182033 A1 describes a similar coating comprising an optional first layer of zinc oxide and a second layer of tin oxide. The document US8443627 B2 relates to a glass substrate coated with at least one layer comprising diamond-like carbon (DLC) and a protective film covering the latter. The protective film includes two layers of oxygen-substoichiometric zinc oxide to prevent oxidation of the DLC layer on the glass. This document also describes a protective film comprising a first layer of carbon oxide magnesium or zinc under-stoichiometric in oxygen (called "release layer" in English) deposited on a layer of DLC, and a second layer called the oxygen barrier layer of aluminum nitride or silicon carbide, deposited on said first layer. However, in this document the first layer must be relatively thick (>100 nm) in order to obtain satisfactory protection of the DLC layer. In addition, the removal of the protective film after heat treatment of the coated substrate is quite tedious and may, for example, require washing with acetic acid solutions. Document WO2019/020485 describes a system of several sacrificial layers in order to protect the DLC layer from oxidation during heat treatment. This document discloses in particular a substrate provided with a coating comprising, from said substrate, the layers in the following order: a DLC layer, a mono-layer or multi-layer metal(s) comprising tin or magnesium, and an oxygen barrier layer.

The disadvantage of these sacrificial layers (metal layers and oxygen barrier layer) is that they are difficult to remove after heat treatment of the coated substrate. This is partly due to the adhesion that exists between the metal layer(s) mentioned above and the DLC layer. Indeed, although the sacrificial layers are degraded during the heat treatment, the complete elimination of these layers, without altering the DLC layer, requires not only washing with water with or without other solvents but above all mechanical friction, carried out for example using washing machines and/or brushes. However, these devices are not part of standard cleaning equipment or cleaning protocols that can be used in industrial-scale processes.

The Applicant has therefore sought a temporary protection layer or a temporary protection system for a substrate coated with at least one layer of diamond-like carbon (DLC) which can be easily removed without solvents or mechanical friction, after heat treatment of said coated substrate, while retaining the mechanical properties (including the anti-scratch properties) of the DLC layer. Thus, the temporary protection must allow the coated substrate to undergo a heat treatment without altering or without negatively affecting the DLC layer and its properties. In addition, the temporary protection must be sufficiently stable to allow protection of the surface of the substrate coated with the DLC layer before heat treatment during manufacturing, processing, handling, transport and/or storage operations. To this end, the subject of the invention is a substrate coated with a stack of layers comprising the succession of the following layers starting from the surface of said substrate:

- a DLC diamond-like carbon layer,

- a layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide having a thickness of between 2 and 40 nm, preferably between 2 and 20 nm, said layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide comprising a quantity less than 10% tin, and

- possibly an oxygen barrier layer.

It has been surprisingly observed by the inventors that a layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide, optionally surmounted by an oxygen barrier layer, according to the invention, could ensure the protection of a DLC layer deposited on a substrate whether before, during and after heat treatment of said substrate and that such a layer (or a stack of layers comprising said layer and the oxygen barrier layer) could (have) be removed ( s) easily by simple washing with water without using solvents and/or mechanical friction after the heat treatment of said substrate. It has in fact been observed by the inventors that after heat treatment and simple washing with water of the substrate initially coated with the aforementioned layer or stack of layers, the DLC layer was still present on the substrate and that its properties mechanisms, in particular anti-scratch, were perfectly preserved, as demonstrated by the following examples.

In addition, the coating of the substrate, according to the invention, exhibited good mechanical stability and good aging stability before the heat treatment.

By the expression “coated”, it is meant that the layer which coats the substrate or another layer is deposited above said substrate or this other layer, but not necessarily in contact with them. When a first layer is placed "on top" of a second layer (or "on top" of a second layer), we mean that the first layer is farther from the substrate than the second layer.

The substrate according to the invention is preferably ceramic, glass-ceramic or glass, and more preferably glass. The glass is in particular of the silico-sodo-lime type, but it can also be of borosilicate or aluminosilicate type glass. Silico-soda-lime glass can be clear or tinted. In a preferred embodiment, the substrate is a pane of glass. The thickness of the substrate, in particular of a glass substrate, can vary between 0.1 mm and 20 mm, in particular between 2 and 8 mm.

The substrate coated with a stack of layers according to the invention thus comprises the succession of the following layers, starting from the surface of said substrate:

- a DLC diamond-like carbon layer,

- a layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide having a thickness of between 2 and 40 nm, preferably between 2 and 20 nm, said layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide comprising a quantity less than 20% tin, and

- possibly an oxygen barrier layer.

Of these three layers, the DLC diamond-like carbon layer is therefore located closest to the substrate. The layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide is placed above the DLC layer; and the optional oxygen barrier layer is disposed above said germanium-based or germanium oxide-based layer.

Advantageously, each of said layers is in direct contact with the previous one.

Even more advantageously, the stack of layers essentially consists of the DLC layer and the layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide, in this order, from the surface of said substrate. In this case, an oxygen barrier layer is not necessary, which has the advantage of reducing the number of layers of the stack and consequently of reducing the number of sacrificial layers to be eliminated after the heat treatment of the substrate. coated since only the layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide is to be removed. Indeed, in this preferred embodiment, the layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide, itself behaves as an oxygen barrier layer.

Preferably, the stack of layers according to the invention does not comprise a layer based on Ag, Au, Cu and Ni. Indeed, in known stacks of layers having functional layers based on silver (that is to say that they act on solar radiation), these silver-based layers are temporarily protected by a DLC layer this sacrificial time which is eliminated. On the other hand, the DLC layer according to the invention is a functional layer which it is absolutely desirable to keep. Moreover, the layers of diamond-like carbon, also called "Diamond Like Carbon", in English, or "DLC", according to the invention, are well known in the art according to this simple name without the need to explain in more detail their constitution. These diamond-like carbon layers are amorphous carbon layers that may or may not contain hydrogen. And the carbon atoms in a DLC layer can be in a mixture of sp2 and sp3 hybridization state, the proportion of sp3 hybridized carbons can be greater than the proportion of sp2 hybridized carbons or vice versa. Indeed, we can distinguish four main families of amorphous carbon, depending on whether the carbon contains hydrogen or not, and on the proportion of sp3 hybridization:

- the amorphous carbons, denoted a-C (predominant sp2 hybridization) or ta-C (predominant sp3 preponderance),

- hydrogenated amorphous carbons, denoted a-C:H (predominant sp2 hybridization) or ta-C:H (predominant sp3 preponderance).

The DLC layers according to the present invention include in particular all these families.

Furthermore, the DLC layer used according to the invention can be doped or undoped; in other words, the DLC layer can comprise atoms other than carbon and hydrogen, such as for example silicon, oxygen, nitrogen, a metal or fluorine, as a dopant, or else be devoid of them.

A person skilled in the art knows various methods of manufacturing DLC layers. DLC layers are generally deposited on the substrate by a vapor phase deposition process, for example by physical vapor deposition (PVD) or by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and preferably by sputtering. The preferred deposition methods used are: plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) and ion beam deposition. In the PECVD process, hydrocarbons, in particular alkanes and alkynes, such as C2H2 or CHU, can be used as precursors for the DLC layer to be deposited.

According to a preferred embodiment, the DLC layer is formed by sputtering by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). In this process, the plasma is generated by a magnetron or a magnetron target. The coating of the substrate (of which said substrate may also comprise at least one ion diffusion barrier layer between the substrate and the DLC layer to be formed) is carried out in a vacuum chamber, in which are placed a magnetron equipped with the target and the substrate. At least one reactive gas is introduced into the chamber under vacuum, for example at a pressure of 0.1 pbar (microbar) to 10 pbar, the plasma generated by the magnetron target leads to the formation of fragments of the reactive gas, which are deposited on the substrate to form the DLC layer. The reactive gas can, for example, comprise hydrocarbons, in particular alkanes and alkynes, such as C2H2 or CH4, or organosilicon compounds, such as tetramethylsilane. Optionally, additional inert gases, such as argon, can be introduced into the vacuum chamber to enhance the plasma. The magnetron target can, for example, be made of silicon, which is optionally doped with one or more elements, such as aluminum and/or boron, or made of titanium. Fabricating the DLC layer using the magnetron PECVD process is advantageous because it allows large substrate areas to be coated with good process stability, without the need for strong heating of the substrate. The DLC layers thus produced have very good scratch resistance and good optical properties, in particular when said method is used in target poisoning mode, known to those skilled in the art.

The DLC diamond-like carbon layer can have a thickness of between 1 and 20 nm, preferably between 2 and 10 nm, and more preferably between 3 and 8 nm. These layer thicknesses are advantageous, because a high transparency of the layers is thereby ensured.

The layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide, according to the invention, has a thickness of between 2 and 40 nm, preferably between 2 and 20 nm and comprises an amount of tin of less than 20%, of preferably less than 10%.

Preferably, the layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide is free of tin.

In an alternative embodiment, said layer may comprise between 1 and 20 atomic % of a metal or a metalloid other than germanium, in particular chosen from antimony, copper, lead, silver, zinc, indium, gallium, aluminum , bismuth, manganese, cadmium, iron, strontium, zirconium, thorium, lithium, nickel, chromium, silicon, tin, gadolinium, yttrium, calcium, or a mixture thereof.

The layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide can comprise at least 50 atomic % germanium or at least 50 atomic % germanium oxide, preferably at least 80 atomic % germanium or at least 80 atomic % of germanium oxide, and even more preferentially at least 90 atomic % germanium or at least 90 atomic % germanium oxide. Advantageously, the layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide essentially consists of germanium or germanium oxide.

The layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide may also comprise nitrogen, in particular the nitrogen may only be present in the form of unavoidable impurities.

In a preferred embodiment, the layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide consists essentially of germanium (denoted “Ge”).

And, in another preferred embodiment, the layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide consists essentially of germanium oxide. By germanium oxide, in the present invention, is meant in particular an oxide of formula “GeOx” with x between 0.01 and 2, limits included, preferably the value of x is between 1 and 2. In particular, the value of x is equal to 2, which corresponds to the stoichiometric compound “GeÜ2”.

The germanium-based or germanium oxide-based layer can be deposited and thus formed by magnetron-assisted sputtering.

The inventors have found surprisingly that the layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide, according to the invention, which is deposited above the DLC layer (which is itself deposited above the substrate ) was water soluble after heat treatment of said coated substrate; thus allowing simple and rapid removal by simple washing with water of said layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide as well as any layers placed above (such as the oxygen barrier layers) .

In the particular case where the layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide is essentially made up of germanium, the inventors remarked surprisingly that this layer was not water-soluble before the heat treatment of the coated substrate, thus rendering the stable stack during storage, but that this layer oxidized during the heat treatment then becoming water-soluble after said heat treatment, thus allowing its removal by washing with water (after heat treatment of said coated substrate).

Moreover, according to the invention, the term “temporary protective layer” or “sacrificial layer” is understood to mean a layer which is removed after heat treatment, in particular by washing with water. Thus, according to the invention, such layers are layers based on germanium or based on germanium oxide and layers possible oxygen barriers arranged above said layers based on germanium or based on germanium oxide.

The coating of the substrate may further comprise an oxygen barrier layer placed above the layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide mentioned above. The role of the oxygen barrier layer is to protect (in addition to the layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide) the DLC layer, in particular against ambient oxygen. Thus, the oxygen barrier layer makes it possible, in addition to the layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide, to subject the coated substrate to a heat treatment (such as quenching), without causing partial degradation. or full DLC layer.

Such oxygen barrier layers and their formation are well known in the prior art. Conventional materials can be used for this purpose. Vapor phase deposition processes, such as PVD or CVD, and preferably magnetron sputtering, or atomic thin film deposition (ALD), can be used for applying the oxygen barrier layer above the layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide mentioned above.

Thus, the oxygen barrier layer may comprise or may consist essentially of at least one material chosen from the group consisting of silicon carbide, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, metal oxide, metal nitride, metal carbide, or a mixture thereof. In the case of metal oxides, nitrides and carbides, the metal can be chosen from the following metals: titanium, zirconium, hafnium, vanadium, niobium, tantalum, chromium, molybdenum or tungsten.

In a preferred embodiment, the oxygen barrier layer comprises or consists essentially of silicon nitride, in particular S13N4 and/or doped S13N4; with Al, Zr, Ti, Hf and/or B doped S13N4 being particularly preferred and Zr doped S13N4 being most preferred. With the exception of B, the proportion of doping elements (in particular Al, Zr, Ti and/or Hf) in the doped S13N4 can be in the range from 1 to 40 atomic %. The proportion of B as doping element may be between 0.1 ppm and 100 ppm.

The combination of the layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide described above with an oxygen barrier layer allows better protection of the DLC layer, in particular when the barrier layer at the oxygen is a layer of doped Sblsb, preferably doped with Zr. The oxygen barrier layer placed above the layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide, according to the invention, also makes it possible to reduce the thickness of the layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide and therefore reduce the cost of stacking; germanium being an expensive element, in particular in its oxide form or else in its metallic form entering into the constitution of a magnetron target. Furthermore, an even more advantageous embodiment is the combination of the layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide and an oxygen barrier layer comprising silicon nitride, in particular as described previously.

The oxygen barrier layer may have a thickness of between 2 and 100 nm, preferably between 20 and 80 nm, and more preferably between 30 and 80 nm.

In principle, the DLC layer is deposited directly and in contact with the surface of the substrate, but according to a possible alternative, the coating of the substrate may also comprise at least one ion diffusion barrier layer between the substrate and the diamond-like carbon layer. DLC, said ion diffusion barrier layer preferably consisting essentially of silicon carbide, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, metal oxide, metal nitride, metal carbide, or a mixture of these, and more preferably Sblsb and/or doped Sblsb, and even more preferably Sblsb doped with Al, Zr, Ti, Hf and/or B. In the case of metal oxides, nitrides and carbides , the metal can be chosen from the following metals: titanium, zirconium, hafnium, vanadium, niobium, tantalum, chromium, molybdenum or tungsten.

The ion diffusion barrier layer prevents the unwanted diffusion of ions, such as sodium ions, from the substrate to the coating and in particular during heat treatment.

Such ion diffusion barrier layers and their formation are well known in the prior art. Conventional materials can be used for this purpose. Vapor deposition processes, such as PVD or CVD, sputtering, preferably magnetron sputtering, or atomic thin film deposition (ALD), can be used for application of the diffusion barrier layer ionic. The ion diffusion barrier layer may have a thickness of between 1 and 100 nm, preferably between 5 and 50 nm.

Preferably, each of the layers of the stack described above is in direct contact with the previous one.

In an advantageous embodiment, the substrate, and in particular the glass substrate, provided with at least one DLC layer and one or more optional layers of ion diffusion barrier or oxygen barrier, is transparent. In other words, the light transmission in the visible range, for example as measured according to European standard NF EN 410 (2011), is greater than 50%, preferably greater than 70%, and in particular greater than 80% .

If the application more particularly targeted by the invention is the glazing for interior furniture, other applications are possible, in particular in the glazing of vehicles. Thus, the heat-treated substrate coated with a stack of layers, according to the invention, can be used as a glass table or as a shower wall or even as a vehicle window.

The invention also relates to the method of manufacturing a heat-treated substrate coated with a stack of layers comprising at least one DLC diamond-like carbon layer. Said method comprises the following steps:

- the heat treatment of a substrate coated with a stack of layers as described above, preferably at a temperature of between 300°C and 800°C for a period of between 1 min and 20 min, at a pressure 1 atm (atmosphere),

- the removal of the layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide and the possible oxygen barrier layer by washing with water of said heat-treated coated substrate.

The heat treatment step can be quenching, annealing or bending, preferably quenching. The heat treatment can be carried out at a temperature between 300°C and 800°C, preferably between 500°C and 700°C, and more preferably between 600°C and 700°C. The duration of the heat treatment can vary between 1 and 20 min, preferably between 2 and 5 min.

In a preferred embodiment, the heat treatment is quenching, preferably carried out at a temperature of 700° C., for a duration of 3 minutes and at a pressure of 1 atm.

The step of heat treatment of the coated substrate according to the invention is followed by a step of washing said heat-treated coated substrate with water, which allows to eliminate, in other words to completely remove, the temporary protective layer comprising the layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide and the possible oxygen barrier layer, without affecting the DLC layer deposited on the substrate (in particular without affecting the so-called “anti-scratch” mechanical properties of said DLC layer). The step of washing with water can be carried out at a pH of between 6 and 8.5, preferably at a pH approximately equal to 7; at room temperature in a temperature range from 15°C to 40°C.

By "washing with water", it is meant within the meaning of the present invention that the sacrificial layer (that is to say the layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide and the barrier layer to possible oxygen described above) are completely removed or eliminated either:

- by depositing water on the surface of the heat-treated coated substrate on the layer(s) side for a period ranging from 1 min to 20 min, preferably from 1 min to 5 min, or

- by immersion in water of the heat-treated coated substrate for a period ranging from 1 min to 20 min, preferably from 1 min to 5 min, or

- by spraying agitated water or pressurized water onto the surface of the heat-treated coated substrate on the layer(s) side; for example water would be ejected through nozzles onto said substrate, or

- by simply wiping with a cloth, tissue or paper, soaked in water.

In the present description, the term "elimination of the layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide and of the possible barrier layer to oxygen" or "layer based on germanium or based on germanium and the possible oxygen barrier layer removed” when it is observed on the DLC layer of the stack of heat-treated coated substrate that no residue following said washing with water, the DLC layer is clean.

The method according to the invention makes it possible to obtain a heat-treated substrate provided with a DLC layer having good mechanical properties.

The layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide and the possible barrier layer to oxygen, according to the invention, being completely removed from the heat-treated substrate provided with at least one DLC layer by a simple washing with water, without using solvents or mechanical friction, the method according to the invention is suitable for the manufacture on an industrial scale of a heat-treated substrate provided with a DLC layer, since no particular washing equipment is necessary. The invention and its advantages are described in more detail, below, by means of the non-limiting examples below, according to the invention and comparative.

Examples

In example 1a, according to the invention, a glass substrate was covered with a stack of layers comprising the succession of the following layers from the surface of said glass substrate:

- an ion diffusion barrier layer of S13N4 having a thickness of 15 nm,

- a DLC diamond-like carbon layer having a thickness of 5 nm, and

- a layer of germanium (denoted Ge) having a thickness of 10 nm.

In Example 1b, according to the invention, a glass substrate was covered with a stack of layers comprising the succession of the following layers from the surface of said glass substrate:

- an ion diffusion barrier layer of S13N4 having a thickness of 15 nm,

- a DLC diamond-like carbon layer having a thickness of 5 nm, and

- a layer based on germanium oxide having a thickness of 10 nm.

In example 2, according to the prior art, a glass substrate was covered with a stack of layers comprising the succession of the following layers from the surface of said glass substrate:

- an ion diffusion barrier layer of Sblsb having a thickness of 15 nm,

- a DLC diamond-like carbon layer having a thickness of 5 nm, and

- a metallic layer of tin (denoted Sn) having a thickness of 10 nm.

In Comparative Example 3, the glass substrate is coated from said substrate only with said ion diffusion barrier layer of S13N4, then with the DLC layer; no temporary protective layer is deposited above the DLC layer.

In all these examples, the substrate is a glass substrate of the Planiclear® type (marketed by the company Saint-Gobain Glass France) and has a thickness of 4 mm.

In all these examples, the DLC layer is deposited by sputtering by magnetron assisted chemical vapor deposition, i.e. by the PECVD method with C2H2 as precursor. The other layers are deposited by sputtering assisted by magnetic field (often called magnetron). Raman spectroscopy. Figure 1

A Raman spectroscopy is carried out on each of the coated substrates described above before a heat treatment consisting of quenching and after quenching, in order to observe the molecular composition of the DLC layer. In other words, it is a question of determining if the DLC layer is indeed present on each of the substrates, by measuring the presence of the Carbon-Carbon bonds “denoted C-C”, which make up said DLC layer. Thus, the measurements are carried out using a Raman spectrometer equipped with a laser source having a wavelength of 532 nm and a power of 50 mW, a magnification objective of x100, a network of 2400 lines/mm and an entry slit set at 20 μm. The sample exposure time is typically 20 s.

The quenching for these tests consists in heating the substrates 1a, 1b, 2 and 3 at a temperature of 700°C, for 3 min, at a pressure of 1 atm, followed by rapid cooling.

The results reported on the Raman spectra in Figure 1 show that:

- before quenching, all the spectra of all the coated substrates show two highly convoluted peaks, the first of which is located at approximately 1390 cm ¹ and the second at 1545 cm ¹ . These peaks are typical of the carbon-carbon bonds of a DLC diamond-like carbon layer, then

- after quenching, no peak corresponding to the C-C bonds is observed for the substrate without protective coating of example 3 due to the complete disappearance of the DLC layer.

The substrates whose DLC layer has been protected either by a layer of germanium or based on germanium oxide (examples 1a and 1b, according to the invention) have two peaks at around 1370 cm ¹ and 1590 cm ¹ whose positions and the relative intensities are comparable to that of a DLC layer protected by tin such as in Example 2 (according to the prior art).

Thus the layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide, according to the invention, provides good protection of a DLC layer deposited on a substrate during a heat treatment.

Scratch resistance test

In order to evaluate the mechanical strength and more particularly the scratch resistance of the glass substrates of examples 1a and 1b, after tempering and after elimination of the layer of germanium or based on germanium oxide by washing with water, these substrates are subjected to the test described below.

Borosilicate spheres with a diameter of 10 mm are subjected to an increasing force (uniform increase in force from 0 N to 30 N with increasing drop height, speed of 30 N/min) on the glass substrates coated with at least one layer of DLC (obtained from examples 1a and 1b, according to the invention, after heat treatment and after removal of the layer of germanium or based on germanium oxide by washing with water) and, by way of comparison, on the glass substrate not coated with a DLC layer (glass obtained from example 3, after toughening and therefore after disappearance of the DLC layer).

From a force of about 5 N, the borosilicate spheres left deep scratches on the uncoated glass substrate but no scratches were observed on the heat-treated coated glass substrates.

This test shows that a layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide, according to the invention, makes it possible not only to protect a substrate coated with at least one DLC layer during a heat treatment but also to preserve the anti-scratch properties of said DLC layer after its removal.

Optical results of heat-treated coated substrates after washing step

In another experiment, the optical properties of a glass substrate according to example 2: glass/SblWDLC/Sn (according to the prior art) and of a glass substrate according to example 1a: glass/ SbN4/DLC/Ge (according to the invention); these substrates having been subjected to certain conditions, as described below.

In fact, the measurements were carried out either:

- after quenching each of the substrates (noted “Tr”), or

- after soaking each of the substrates, followed by rubbing with a damp cloth (denoted “Tr + Fr”) in order to remove the layer of tin or germanium, or

- after soaking each of the substrates, followed by depositing a drop of water for 2 minutes on the layer to be removed (noted “Tr +Gt”).

In these examples, the quenching was carried out at a temperature of 700° C., for 3 min, at a pressure of 1 atm.

The measurements of the optical properties of said glass substrates are therefore carried out in accordance with European standard NF EN 410 (2011). More precisely, the light transmissions TL and the light reflections on the RLC layer(s) side, are measured in the range of the visible spectrum: wavelengths between 380 nm and 780 nm, depending on the illuminant D65. The colorimetry parameters a ^* and b ^* are measured according to the international colorimetry model (L, a ^* , b ^* ).

The results obtained are summarized in Table 1 below:

[Table 1]

The results reported in the table show that the germanium layer is removed using a single drop of water, while the metallic tin layer requires additional friction in order for it to be completely removed.

Indeed, as reported in the previous tables, the TL, RLC and a ^* , b ^* values obtained for the glass substrate according to example 1a (Tr + Fr) are identical to the TL, RLC and a ^* values, b ^* obtained with the glass substrate Ex. 1a (Tr + Gt), which shows that the germanium layer can be removed by simple washing with water. On the contrary, the TL, RLC and a ^* , b ^* values obtained for the glass substrate according to Example 2 (according to the prior art) after toughening (Tr) are identical to the TL, RLC and a ^* , b ^* values obtained with the glass substrate Ex. 2 (Tr + Gt). This shows that a simple washing with water does not allow the elimination of the protective layer Sn but that an additional rubbing step is necessary.

Such results show the advantage of using a germanium layer in an industrial application, since the user can remove it by simply washing without needing to use more restrictive means such as brushes or the like.

In addition, results similar to those obtained with a glass substrate according to example 1a: glass/S N4/DLC/Ge (according to the invention) were obtained with a glass substrate whose germanium layer was replaced by a layer based on germanium oxide: glass/Si3N4/DLC/GeOx.

Claims

1 . Substrate coated with a stack of layers comprising the succession of the following layers from the surface of said substrate:

- a DLC diamond-like carbon layer,

- possibly an oxygen barrier layer.

2. Coated substrate according to claim 1, characterized in that said layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide is free of tin.

3. Coated substrate according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the stack of layers does not comprise a layer based on Ag, Au, Cu and Ni.

4. Coated substrate according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the DLC diamond-like carbon layer has a thickness of between 1 and 20 nm, preferably between 2 and 10 nm, and more preferably between 3 and 8 nm.

5. Coated substrate according to any one of the preceding claims, in which when the oxygen barrier layer is present, this layer comprises at least one material chosen from the group consisting of silicon carbide, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, metal oxide, metal nitride, metal carbide, or a mixture of these, preferably S13N4 and/or doped S13N4, and more preferably S13N4 doped with Al, Zr, Ti, Hf and/or B.

6. Coated substrate according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the oxygen barrier layer has a thickness of between 2 and 100 nm, preferably between 20 and 80 nm, and more preferably between 30 and 80 nm.

7. A coated substrate according to any preceding claim, wherein the stack of layers further comprises at least one ion diffusion barrier layer between the substrate and the DLC diamond-like carbon layer, said ion diffusion barrier layer preferably consisting essentially of silicon carbide, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, metal oxide, metal nitride, metal carbide, or a mixture thereof, and more preferably S13N4 and/or doped S13N4, and even more preferably S13N4 doped with Al, Zr, Ti, Hf and/or B.

8. Coated substrate according to claim 7, in which the ion diffusion barrier layer has a thickness of between 1 and 100 nm, preferably between 5 and 50 nm.

9. A coated substrate according to any preceding claim, wherein the substrate is ceramic, glass-ceramic, or glass, preferably glass.

10. Coated substrate according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide consists essentially of germanium or germanium oxide.

11. Substrate according to any one of the preceding claims, in which each of said layers of the stack is in direct contact with the previous one.

12. Coated substrate according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the stack of layers consists essentially of said DLC diamond-like carbon layer and of said layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide. , in that order, from the surface of said substrate.

13. Method for manufacturing a heat-treated substrate coated with a stack of layers comprising at least one layer of diamond-like carbon DLC characterized in that it includes the following stages:

- heat treatment of a substrate coated with a stack of layers according to any one of claims 1 to 12, preferably at a temperature of between 300°C and 800°C for a duration of between 1 min and 20 min at a pressure of 1 atm,

- elimination of the layer based on germanium or based on germanium oxide and the possible oxygen barrier layer by washing with water of said heat-treated coated substrate.

14. Process for manufacturing a substrate according to claim 13, characterized in that the heat treatment is chosen from quenching, annealing and bending treatments.