GB2431931A

GB2431931A - Anti-reflection layer and manufacturing method and apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2431931A
Application number: GB0618865A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jau Jier Chu; Hsu-Fu Hung; I-Wen Lee; Chien-Min Weng; Chao-Lan Lee
Original assignee: FU CHING TECHNOLOGIES CO Ltd
Current assignee: FU CHING TECHNOLOGIES CO Ltd
Priority date: 2005-11-04
Filing date: 2006-09-25
Publication date: 2007-05-09
Also published as: GB0618865D0; JP3131160U; TW200718790A

Abstract

A manufacturing method for sputtering multiple anti-reflection layers onto a substrate at low temperature. The substrate 10 is firstly cleaned with plasma and is then sputtered with a stack of layers alternately having high refractive index 22 and low refractive index 32. A continuous manufacturing process is adopted. The substrate can be a macromolecular material (e.g. PMMA) or glass. The high refractive index layer can be made of metal oxide in particular ITO, Nb2O5 or ZnO, and the low refractive index material can be made of a non-metal oxide such as SiO2. Preferably the first layer to be deposited is a low refractive index layer. The method can be used for mass-producing anti-reflection panels as the raw material for the photo industry.

Description

* 2431931

ANTI-REFLECTION LAYER AND MANUFACTURING

METHOD AND APPARATUS

The present invention relates to a substrate having a sputtered anti-reflection layer and a manufacturing method and apparatus.

In the raw photo material production industry, an anti-reflection layer panel is the most important raw material. The importance of the raw optical-electrical material production industry is increasing while simultaneously there are growing requests for an improved yield, greater control of the process, reducing costs, and mass-producing for the optical-electrical product. The raw optical-electrical material production industry is almost as important as the semiconductor industry. The technology for producing anti-reflection is layer panels is relevant to a variety of optical-electrical industries, such as LCD, OLED, FED, photo lens, etc. The specifications for an anti-reflection layer panel depend on the requirements of each industry. However, when a large dimension panel is produced, it needs to be composed of better raw material because the large 2 dimension panel of the conventional art adopting a nebulization surface apparatus.

The anti-reflection layer panel is a basic component for the optical-electrical industry. Almost all high-class panels use an anti-reflection layer. The anti-reflection layer panel and other electronic elements are assembled into an optical-electrical apparatus as an optical-electrical product to provide a specified function. For the anti-reflection layer panel, the desired characteristics are being light permeable and anti-reflective. 3(1

FIG. I shows a schematic diagram of a product with an anti-reflection lens processed by a nebulization process of the prior art.

The LCD lOa has an anti-reflection lens processed by a nebulization process 20a. When the panel is treated with a nebulization process, 3 the panel's light transmission characteristic is affected. It may be acceptable for a general low quality optical-electrical product.

1-lowever, for a high-resolution product, it will be a big problem due to the need for light transmission and high resolution characteristics.

Therefore, the nebulization process is only suitable for low quality products. Developing a rapid and reliable method for producing sputtering on an anti-reflection layer (also known as a multi-layer s panel) onto a substrate at low temperatures is nedesirable, especially, if the substrate is made of macromolecular materials, such as transparent acrylic material (PMMA) or glass.

The invention is defined in the independent claims. l()

In particular, this invention utilizes the anti-reflection characteristics of alternating high refractive index and low refractive index layers successively deposited by sputtering on a substrate. A continuous manufacturing process can be adopted, using a is conventional sputtering machine and using plasma to clean the surface of the substrate. Therefore, installation is convenient, and high quality products can be mass-produced.

The products of the present invention are stable in quality and 2 can be produced by a convenient manufacturing process.

Furthermore, the production machine can be modified from a conventional sputtering machine. The apparatus for sputtering an anti-reflection layer onto a board at low temperature is used in the optical-electrical industry that needs an anti-reflection layer in its components (such as LCD's, computer goggles, glasses, high-class displays, FED's, or photo sensors). It produces panels that are cheap and of high quality.

In a particular aspect the present invention provides an apparatus and a manufacturing method for sputtering an anti-reflection layer onto a substrate at low temperature, preferably in a continuous process. This is achievable due to the panel (or other substrate) being easily manufactured by a continuous process, and the use of plasma to clean the surface of the panel. The manufacturing process is easy and convenient.

The manufacturing method for sputtering an anti-reflection layer onto a substrate at low temperature includes cleaning the surface of the substrate using a plasma, and sputtering the substrate with at least one high refractive index layer or at least one low S refractive index layer. Preferably at least two of each layer are sputtered and stacked alternately on the substrate (meaning that there are at least four such layers sputtered on the board in total).

Preferably the total number of layers is from four to seven.

Preferably the substrate is in the form of a panel, and at least one high refractive index layer or at least one low refractive index layer are formed on the substrate. The high refractive index layers are sputtered and stacked alternately with the low refractive index layers, and preferably there are at least two high refractive index is layers and at least two low refractive index layers.

Preferrred embodiments of the invention are described below by way of example only with reference to Figures 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings, wherein: 2() FIG. I is a schematic diagram of a product with an anti-reflection lens treated with a nebulization process of the prior art; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a production line for sputtering an anti-reflection layer onto a panel at low temperature; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of apparatus for sputtering an anti-reflection layer onto a panel at low temperature; and FIG. 4 is a flow chart of the manufacturing process in accordance with the present invention.

FIGs. 2, 3 and 4 show schematic diagrams of the preferred 3 embodiment of the present invention. A panel made of PMMA or glass is continuously manufactured via a continuous production process. The plasma (surface-cleaning plasma 15) is used for cleaning the surface of the panel 10 (Step 101). The present embodiment adapts conventional manufacturing steps and peripheral equipment to provide an easy manufacturing process (sputtering at least one high refractive index layer 22 or at least one low refractive index layer 32) in which each manufacturing process is integrated together (Step 103). The high refractive index layer 22 is made of metal oxide plasma, and the low refractive index layer 32 is made of non-metal oxide plasma.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a production line for producing the apparatus for sputtering an anti-reflection layer onto a panel at low temperature in accordance with the present invention.

Firstly, the PMMA panel is input (at the left side of FIG. 2). Then, plasma (surface-cleaning plasma 15) cleans the surface of the panel 10 iu (the second step from the left side of FIG. 2). At least one layer of metal oxide 20 or non-metal oxide 30 is sputtered on the panel 10 (the third and fourth step from the left side of FIG. 2). In this embodiment, at least two layers of SiO (a raw material being Si, and an oxide film being formed during the sputtering process) and at least two layers is of ZnO (an oxide film is formed during the sputtering process). As shown in the FIG. 3, there are at least four layers. Generally, there are four to seven layers. in this embodiment, the present invention is very suitable for the conventional production line with a sputtering process. An engineer only needs to modify a semi-conductor 2u production line that is used for processing chips. The modified production line can be used in the continuous sputtering process to produce the anti-reflection multi-layer panels of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows a manufacturing method for sputtering an anti-reflection layer onto a panel at low temperature oin accordance with the present invention, and includes cleaning the surface of the panel with plasma (SlOl), and sputtering the panel 10 with at least one high refractive index layer or at least one low refractive index layer 3( (5103). There are at least two layers of each and the high refractive index layer and the low refractive index layer are sputtered and stacked alternately on the panel (this means there are at least four layers sputtered on the panel, generally the number of the layers is between four to seven).

The panel 10 is sputtered via a continuous workstation manufacturing process. Therefore, the delay time between the workstations is controlled within a predetermined period. The panel is made of macromolecule materials or glass. The high refractive index layer 22 is made of metal oxide, and the low refractive index layer 32 is made of non-metal oxide. The high refractive index layer 22 is made of ITO, Nb205 or ZnO, and the low refractive index layer 32 is made of Si02. The sputtering process for the panel 10 is implemented in a space within a specified cleanness level (the surface of the workpiece must he neat). The panel 10 is transported between the workstations via a transporting belt or an auto cart (similar to the U) semiconductor manufacturing process). Before the step of cleaning the surface of the panel, the present invention includes a step of manufacturing the panel 10 via a pressing process (for controlling the dimension of the workpiece). The bottom layer and the top layer on the panel 10 are low refractive index layers 32.

Thus a substrate is formed by a panel 10, and at least one high refractive index layer 22 or at least one low refractive index layer 32 are formed on the substrate. The high refractive index layers 22 are sputtered and stacked alternately with the low refractive index layers 32, and there are at least two high refractive index layers 22 and two low refractive index layers 32.

The present invention thus provides an apparatus for sputtering an anti-reflection layer onto a panel at low temperature and a manufacturing method. The product of the present invention has a stable quality and is produced a convenient manufacturing process. Furthermore, the production machine can be modified from a traditional sputtering machine. The apparatus for sputtering an anti-reflection layer onto a panel at low temperature can be used in the optical-electrical industry that uses high quality panels as the starting component (such as LCD's, computer goggles, glasses, high-class display, FED's, or optical-electrical sensors). It has the characteristics of being cheap and producing and high quality panels.

36 The present invention has the following merits: 1. The new manufacturing process can be easily implemented, and the cost of new equipment is low and the requirement of the technology is also low.

2. It uses a continuous manufacturing process. Therefore, s production speed is high.

3. The present invention can he used in optical-electrical products that need high quality anti-reflection film, and can be implemented via the conventional manufacturing process.

The description above only illustrates specific embodiments and examples of the invention. The invention should therefore cover various modifications and variations made to the herein-described apparatus and operations of the invention, provided they fall within the scope of the invention as defined in the following appended is claims.

Claims

CLAI MS: 1. A manufacturing method for sputtering an anti-reflection

layer onto a substrate at low temperature, comprising: cleaning the surface of a substrate using plasma; and sputtering the substrate with at least one high refractive index layer or at least one low refractive index layer; wherein, at least two high refractive index layers and at least two low refractive index layers are sputtered and stacked alternately iu on the substrate.

2. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the substrate is sputtered via a continuous workstation manufacturing process to control the delay time between the is workstations within a predetermined period.

3. The manufacturing method as claimed in claim I or claim 2, wherein the substrate is made of a macromolecular material or glass.

2() 4. The manufacturing method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the high refractive index layer is made of metal oxide, and the low refractive index layer is made of non-metal oxide.

5. The manufacturing method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the high refractive index layer is made of ITO, Nb205 or ZnO and the low refractive index layer is made of Si02.

6. The manufacturing method as claimed any preceding claim, wherein the sputtering process for the substrate is implemented in a 3 space with a cleanness level being within a specified value.

7. The manufacturing method as claimed any preceding claim, wherein the substrate is transported between the workstations via a transporting belt or an auto cart.

IS

8. The manufacturing method as claimed any preceding claim, further comprising a step of manufacturing the substrate via a pressing process.

9. The manufacturing method as claimed any preceding claim, wherein the bottom layer is the low refractive index layer.

10. A substrate having at least two sputtered high refractive index layers and at least two sputtered low refractive index layers to disposed alternately thereon.

ii. An apparatus for sputtering an anti-reflection layer onto a substrate at low temperature of the present invention, comprising: means for sputtering at least one high refractive index layer is and at least one low refractive index layer alternately with the low refractive index layer on a substrate, whereby at least two high refractive index layers and at least two low refractive index layers are deposited.

12. The apparatus for sputtering an anti-reflection layer onto a substrate at low temperature as claimed in claim ii, wherein the substrate is made of macromolecule materials or glass.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11 or claim 12, wherein the high refractive index layer is made of metal oxide, and the low refractive index layer is made of non-metal oxide.

14. The apparatus for sputtering an anti-reflection layer onto a substrate at low temperature as claimed in claim 11 or claim 12, wherein the high refractive index layer is made of ITO, Nb205 or ZnO and the low refractive index layer is made of Si02.

15. The apparatus as claimed in any of claims 11 to 14, wherein the bottom layer and the top layer on the substrate are the low ss refractive index layers.

16. A sputtering apparatus or method substantially as described hereinabove with reference to Figures 2 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.

17. A substrate having a sputtered anti-reflection layer substantially as described with reference to Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.