JPH07281006A - Method and equipment for coating lens - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a method for coating lens which can make cyclic operations possible and can be integrated with a complicated manufacturing process, having a pre-processing process a post-processing process and by which lenses to be coated can be supplied to the succeeding manufacturing method or just-in-time manufacturing process. CONSTITUTION: In an in-line method and device for coating a optical lens S, especially composed of a plastic with a transparent protective layer P and a single or multiple transparent optical layers (O), at least two vacuum processes are provided. In the first process, a prescribed number of lenses is simultaneously coated with transparent protective layers P, having thicknesses of 0.5-10μm by using the PCVD method in a coating zone. A partial number of new lenses is continuously supplied to the coating zone in the first process and the partial number of lenses is taken out after coating. In the second process, the partial number of taken out of lenses is coated with a single or multiple transparent reflections, reducing the optical layers O having a thickness thinner than that of the protective layer P.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

The present invention relates to a method for coating optical lenses, in particular plastics, with a transparent protective layer and a transparent optical monolayer or multiple layers in a vacuum in at least two steps.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art German Patent Application Publication No. 4128547
According to the specification, a protective layer of SiO ₂ and then an optical layer of alternating high- and low-refractive-index protective materials are applied batchwise, ie sequentially, on a substrate in only one vacuum chamber. Providing is known. In this case, the protective layer should be relatively thick and protect the substrate against mechanical and chemical influences. In substrates made of softer plastics than in substrates made of inorganic substances, the protective layer has the additional problem of preventing the "pushing" of the optical layer into the plastic substrate under the action of local forces. , This is a very important property in the case of eyeglass lenses. This is because spectacle lenses are subject to a particularly heavy load due to frequent purification processes. In the known method, the protective layer is provided by electron beam evaporation of SiO ₂ by simultaneously operating a plasma source supplied with argon. The production of the optical layer is also carried out by means of an electron beam evaporator, whereby the vacuum chamber can additionally be supplied with reactive gases such as oxygen and / or nitrogen.

However, the known devices and the processes carried out in them cannot be integrated into manufacturing processes which are carried out continuously or semicontinuously, since there is always a relatively large amount of the final coating. This is because the two substrates are completed at the same time. In this case, the whole substrate is simultaneously held by the spherically shaped substrate holder, which holder is required not only on the individual substrates but also on the whole of all the substrates, because of the need for a uniform layer distribution. Also, it must have a considerable distance from the plasma source. Neither known methods nor devices are suitable for the cyclical operation of releasing one or two substrates in line with the pre- and post-joined manufacturing processes.

From DE-A 29 0072 24 A1 a method is known in which a substrate (nothing mentioned about its nature and / or geometry) is provided with alternating layers of rubber weights and metal. . In optical lenses per difference, a metal coating film is deposited, especially when the metal layer has a corresponding thickness. No mention is made of layer thickness ratios and no mention of coating speeds at individual coating stations. It is also obvious to form a thick layer by cycling the substrate several times before removing it from the device. Thus, layers of rubber polymer and layers of metal are alternately produced on the substrate, which is clearly not a lens, especially a spectacle lens.

It is known from DE-A 36 23 970 to pass a two-dimensional substrate holder in an upright position by means of a roller system through a coating device which is also capable of double-sided coating. No optical lenses are mentioned, the above description also mentions layer thickness ratios, and in some cases different transports when it is important to provide layers with significantly different layer thicknesses sequentially in the same continuous operation. There is no mention of speed or cycle period.

DE-A-4203 631 discloses a method for treating an oxide layer which is already pre-existing on a foil or which is provided in the form of a prechamber in front of a treatment station on a foil. A device is disclosed. This does not relate to the production of two or more successive layers, but merely to the aftertreatment of the layers, for example to make them transparent. Thereby, the problem of layer thickness distribution control is not presented.

A so-called PCVD method (Plasma-chemical) for uniformly coating a substrate in a patch system.
It is also known to produce protective layers of the type described by al-Vapour-Deposition). It is also known to arrange the substrate in such a manner on the outer surface of a rotatable drum and to rotate the substrate through one or several coating zones. Even in this case, it is not possible to complete the entire substrate at the same time, i.e. to integrate it into a fully automatic manufacturing process with cyclic operation and pre- and post-treatment.

In order to demonstrate the problems in the production of "thick" protective layers, the following is indicated: so-called thermal evaporation (evaporation material by Joule heat by passing electron beam bombardment, arc or current through the evaporation boat). Heating) results in the formation of a relatively loose layer of texture on the unheated substrate. A typical example is the "stem-like structure", which is always prominent as the layer thickness increases.
Is. This effect can be counteracted by increasing the temperature of the substrate, which precludes the applicability of such methods to many substrate materials. Moreover, such a method requires the large distances previously described between the coating source and the substrate. In any case, the coating rate is relatively low; 0.1-5 nm / s depending on the material.

Therefore, for the coating of plastic lenses, in particular for the coating of spectacle lenses made of plastic, a so-called coating method has been developed in which a hard coating is applied to the polished lens surface by a wet chemical method. After drying and curing of the hard coating, a clear reflection-reducing monolayer or multilayers can then be applied in vacuum. Such a method cannot be integrated into a manufacturing method that operates in a cyclic manner. Furthermore, the wet chemical coating technique is relatively expensive, especially since the coating must only be prepared shortly before processing.

Wet chemical pre-coating of substrates is actually referred to as "ion assisted evaporation".
The method according to German patent application DE 41 28 547 A1, also referred to as “Verdampfen)”, is no longer necessary, but this method is also integrated into a continuous or semi-continuous or cyclic manufacturing method, as already mentioned. You cannot do it.

In the PCVD method, the layer is deposited from the gas phase rather than being formed from a solid coating material as in the case of slab sputtering or evaporation. The plasma "activates" the corresponding gas. Then, a chemical reaction proceeds on the surface of the substrate to form a layer. The power demand for plasma generation is about 10% of the power required for sputter or evaporation at the same deposition rate. PC
Dielectric layers formed by VD are usually more elastic and dense than comparable or sputter deposited layers. The present invention starts from such a PCVD method.

In the PCVD method, a gaseous or easily vaporizable liquid is used as a layer forming substance. For example, a quartz-like layer can be made from the starting material TMDS or HMDSO,
Alternatively, it can be deposited from a mixture of silane on the one hand and oxygen or laughing on the other hand, a considerable hydrogen content often causing strong crosslinking of the layers. in this case,
The low-pressure plasma excitation is carried out by direct current electrodes or by alternating current inductively (coil supplied at a specific frequency) or by supplying microwave energy. This makes it very easy to assemble, eg 1
A device is obtained which works very reliably in the large pressure range between 0 and ^{3 and} 10 mbar.

For the production of so-called cold-light mirrors, from the coating of a small number of spherical substrates to the coating of only one substrate by means of the PCVD method, the German patent no.
It is known from the publication No. 008405, but even in this case no means is described for operating such a device in a cyclical manner for the purpose of integrating it into a complicated manufacturing process.

[0014]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The problem underlying the invention is therefore the beginning, which can be integrated into a complex manufacturing process which can be operated cyclically and which has pretreatment and posttreatment steps. It is to describe the methods of the described categories. This gives in particular the possibility of a just-in-time supply of the post-manufacturing process or process.

[0015]

According to the invention in the method described at the outset, the solution of the set object is achieved by: a) supplying a partial amount of new lens continuously to the coating zone of the first step by the passing method, After coating, the partial amount is taken out, b) the partial amount taken out from the first step in the second step is provided with a transparent and reflection-reducing optical single layer or multiple layers by another passage method, and c) in both steps. This is done by adjusting the transport rate or cycle period so that each step produces an equal amount of coated lens on average per unit time.

Using the method according to the invention, the lens is provided with a very thick, scratch-free and chemically resistant protective layer which is colorless and transparent, and then a reflection-reducing monolayer or multilayer. Can be manufactured with equal cycles in succession, so that a corresponding number of lenses or a single lens can be coated in just-in-time.

The combination of "just-in-time" device principles with respect to PCVD coating technology creates the potential for improving the economics of coating lenses industrially while at the same time increasing layer quality and functionality.

In this case, the application of the method is particularly advantageous in the case of lenses made of plastic, but is by no means limited to this, but also in transparent lenses made of inorganic materials. This is because the influence of different coefficients of thermal expansion on the layer quality is reduced due to the relatively low heat load of the lens. In this case, the plastics include: CR39 = diallyldiethylene glycol carbonate PMMA = polymethylmethacrylate PS = polystyrene PC = polycarbonate However, the process according to the invention is not restricted to the use of these materials. For example, CR39 has an index of refraction of 1.5; however, in the meanwhile plastics with an index of refraction of 1.6 and above were developed. Optical lenses, especially spectacle lenses with a certain number of diopters, can be made lighter with higher refractive index.

For the second step, methods other than the PCVD method may also be mentioned, for example thermal evaporation, cathodic sputtering and / or ion-assisted evaporation coating according to DE-A-4128547, for example. However, it is particularly advantageous if the second step, in which a single layer or multiple layers with a very small layer thickness is formed, is also carried out according to the PCVD method, in which case the need for evaporation control as in thermal evaporation is required. Since it does not exist, a particularly small chamber volume can be maintained. Such a layer system consists for example of alternating high and low refractive index layer materials.

The subject matter of the invention is that the step of applying layers of very different thickness allows the cyclic feeding of coated lenses, for example individually or in pairs, which impairs the productivity of the overall process. It is to synchronize with each other so that there is no such thing. It is no longer necessary to perform intermediate storage of partially coated lenses. In the case of such intermediate storage, the inevitable absorption of water vapor from the side of the lens has a particularly adverse effect.

The method according to the invention makes it possible to feed the lens from the first step to the second step without exposure to the atmosphere.

According to the method of the present invention, for example, 30 to 60
With a cycle time between seconds, the lens can be provided with a complete multilayer system in each of the coating zones.

In many lenses, especially those made of plastic, in particular spectacle lenses made of plastic, a double-sided coating of the lens is important. Double-sided coating can be done simultaneously or sequentially.

In the first case, it is particularly advantageous for the lens held by the substrate holder, which is moved between the loading gate and the loading gate, to be coated on one side with a difference and the one-side coated lens to be rotated 180 ° and then to be loaded again. Return it to the gate, hand it over to the substrate holder, and rotate it to the second position.
The surface is coated, and then the lens is carried out through the carry-out gate.

In the second case, a substrate holder with corresponding perforations is used in combination with an excitation source arranged on each side of the lens transport path.

In this case, the excitation energy for the plasma is coupled to the plasma by means of at least one rectangular electrode arranged in a vacuum, the major surface of the electrode and the major axis being directed to at least one conveying path of the lens. It is particularly advantageous to run parallel.

Rectangular electrodes refer to elongated electrodes with rounded corners as well as such electrodes with non-planar surfaces, eg structured surfaces, the structuring being achieved by rib-like protrusions or ridges. can do.

The efficiency of the PCVD coating method is particularly advantageous.
The plasma can be enhanced by concentrating on both sides of the electrode facing the lens by means of a closed, short-side and long-side magnetic tunnel that is geometrically similar to the size of the electrode.

Thus, the electrode acts as a magnetron cathode, but does not use a sputterable target in the PCVD method. Rather, the material exchange and / or process parameters are advantageously taken into account so that the electrode material does not sputter during the PCVD process itself.

The invention also provides a vacuum chamber, a loading gate, a loading gate and a transport device for coupling both gates together.
An apparatus for carrying out the first step having at least one transport path for a lens and at least one electrode arranged in a vacuum chamber for introducing excitation energy into a plasma.

To solve the same problem, at least one
The one electrode has a length such that it extends at least over the carriage of the lens and, if there are several carriages, over the whole carriage of the lens.

The transport path does not necessarily have to extend in a straight line; the first and second step PCVD processes have a rotating substrate holder and the lens is fed continuously or semi-continuously by at least one gate. It is also possible to use a so-called merry-go-round device which is taken out again. However, it is particularly advantageous if at least one of the transport paths is straight and the electrodes are of rectangular design, the major axis of which is parallel to the at least one transport path of the lens.

By the expression "passage method", the method of continuous transport of the lens from gate to gate, as well as the semi-continuous way in which the lens moves from gate to gate in step pie steps and is held in hand in its transport path. Indicates the transportation method. The step-pie-step carrying movement can be manifested by opening and closing the gate valve and causing the gate drive to carry the lens intermittently.

Further advantageous configurations of the method according to the invention and the device according to the invention are apparent from the further claims.

[0035]

EXAMPLES Two examples of the object and an apparatus for carrying out the method according to the invention are described in detail below with reference to FIGS.

In FIG. 1, S denotes a lens represented by an eyeglass lens made of CR39 having a refractive index n = 1.5. Other transparent materials with equal or higher refractive index are mentioned in the general description. This lens has a refractive index n = 1.
A protective layer P having a thickness of 3 and a thickness of 3 μm was provided. The refractive index of the protective layer P should be as close as possible to the refractive index of the lens S. When using a substrate material having a refractive index of n = 1.5 or higher, it is recommended that the protective layer P be composed of a layer material having the formula SiOxNy. The values of x and y can be varied for index matching. In this case, the values of x and y may be zero. If the index of refraction approaches the value n = 1.7, silicon nitride having the formula Si ₃ N ₄ is preferably produced. In this case, the optical layer system consists of four single layers of alternating high and low refractive index (H). TiO ₂ or Ta ₂ O ₅ having a refractive index up to a value exceeding 2.2 can be used for the high refractive index layer, and SiO ₂ can be used for the low refractive index layer. in this case,
The layer thickness of the individual layers of the optical system O is 1 / of the measuring light used.
It is within the range of four wavelengths. Therefore, the sum of the individual layer thicknesses in the optical layer O is clearly smaller than the thickness of the protective layer P.

FIG. 2 shows an elongate vacuum chamber 1, which has on each of the side walls 2 and 3 an input gate 4 and an output gate 5. Both gates are of known construction and each has two gate valves between which there is a mechanical delivery device for the lens. Therefore, it is not necessary to show details of these gates. Neither the suction pipe for forming the vacuum, nor the gas supply pipe for the required reaction gas is shown.

Between the gates, there is a carrying device 6 consisting of an endless conveyor belt, on which the lens S is placed from the loading gate 4. At the end of the carrier device 6, the lens S is again picked up by the carry-out gate 5.

Above the carrier device 6 is a rectangular electrode 7, which is suspended by an insulating structure 8 on the lid of the vacuum chamber 1. The electrode 7 is used for introducing the excitation energy of the plasma and has a rectangular shape, the major axis of which extends parallel to the transport path of the lens S (arrow 9). The electrode 7 is composed of a casing made of non-magnetizable material that cannot be sputtered, and has a magnet system 10 (shown in cross section) on the side away from the lens. This magnet system forms a magnetic tunnel 10a (indicated by the dotted magnetic field lines) on the side of the electrode facing the lens. The magnet system 10 as well as the magnetic tunnel 10a extend around the entire circumference of the electrode 7 and are therefore spatially closed. Due to the rectangular shape of the electrodes extending at right angles to the plane of the paper, the magnetic tunnel 10a also has a rectangular profile and has two short sides and two long sides. FIG. 2 shows a sectional view through both short sides. Both long sides extend parallel to the carrying direction of the lens (arrow 9). In the vacuum chamber 1 according to FIG. 2, only one surface of the lens S is coated per difference. The double-sided coating implementation is detailed in FIG. On the other hand, the lens S is mounted on the left end of the transport path 11 in a state as shown in the upper left of FIG. A large number of lenses S are present at the same time within the run-in range of the electrode 7, and the lenses S are on one side on the transport path 11,
That is, its upper surface is coated. After exiting the carrier 11, the lens is removed from the carrier 6 and returned along the chained carrier 13 to the beginning of the carrier 6, with the tumbling device 14 (shown symbolically). ) By 180
It is turned around and then placed again on the starting end of the carrier device 6 and in the position shown in the upper right of FIG. There is two parallel rows of lenses S on the carrier 6, since the riding is done at the beginning of a second carrier 12 which extends parallel to the first carrier 11. Second transportation path 12
At the end of the lens the exit gate 5 in a manner not shown
It is picked up by and carried out. Both transport paths 11 and 12 are below the long sides of both the magnet system 10 and the magnetic tunnel 10a, since the coating speed is very important.

Further, as is apparent from FIG. 2, the lens carried out from the carry-out gate 5 has another lens in the outer carrying path 15.
One vacuum chamber 16 is carried to both end walls 1 of the vacuum chamber.
Similarly, 7 and 18 are provided with one input gate 19 and one transfer gate 20. The vacuum chamber 16 also has a carrier 21 which connects both gates to each other. However, in this case, the carrying device 21 consists of individual pallets 22,
The pallets each have a notch hole 22a in the center, and the edge of the lens S is placed on the edge thereof. In this case, there are two electrodes 23 and 24 above and below the carrier 21, which may likewise have a magnet system not shown here in detail. This configuration allows for double-sided coating of the lens in association with the cutout 22a. The pallets 22 are loaded through the loading gate 19 and unloaded through the loading gate 20 and in the direction of another outer transport path 25 to a post-processing station not shown here. It is clear from FIG. 2 that the vacuum chamber 1 is in each case supplied with individual lenses and the vacuum chamber 16 by the conveying path 25 in each case provides individual lenses for subsequent processing. Therefore, the so-called "partial quantity" is 1 in this case. It is also clear from FIG. 2 that there is a cycle synchronization between the vacuum chambers 1 and 16, that is to say that the individual vacuum chambers are supplied "just in time" with each other.

Obviously, both vacuum chambers 1 and 16 need not be spatially separated from each other. Rather, the exit gate 5 and the entrance gate 19 can be directly connected to each other or replaced by only one common gate. Furthermore, instead of the coupling gate, a pressure stage section without a check device is provided, in which a so-called "transverse mixing" is provided between the vacuum chambers 1 and 16 by means of an intermediate suction device.
It is also possible to take care so that "contamation)" does not occur.

The following considerations arise with regard to the percentage of coated surfaces that are simultaneously exposed to the individual coating methods:
Decisive to this is the number of coating surfaces in the vacuum chamber 16 and the coating time. A complete coating with a four-layer optical layer system according to FIG. 1 seems to take 30 seconds. Within this time, the double-sided coated lens S is provided. Therefore, the vacuum chamber 1 also has a total of 3
It must provide a double coated lens in 0 seconds. Due to the much larger layer thickness formed in the vacuum chamber 1, the coating process here takes about 600 seconds, and thus 10 minutes, so that in the double-sided coating in the vacuum chamber 1 20 lenses are produced by the electrodes 7. It exists within the defined coating zone. However, FIG. 2 and FIG.
Since in the method according to claim 1, only the upward-facing surface of the lens is coated in each case, the coating zone must accommodate a total of 40 lenses, which according to FIG. Is done in two parallel rows of. Only fragments from this configuration are shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 shows a vacuum chamber 1 similar to the upper part, but with rectangular electrodes 7 and 7a aligned in two mutually parallel planes, corresponding to the electrode 7 in FIG.

The carrying device 26 connecting the loading gate 4 with the loading gate 5 has in this case pallets 27 juxtaposed,
Since the pallets are provided with the notch holes 27a which are present side by side, simultaneous double-sided coating is possible. This likewise results in two parallel transport paths 28 and 29. Further, the carry-in gate 4 simultaneously supplies two lenses, and the carry-out gate 5 simultaneously carries out the lenses coated on both sides. Therefore, the partial quantity is 2 in this case. Thus, there is no need to return and roll the lens. In this case as well, the vacuum chamber 1 is followed by a second vacuum chamber 16, which with one exception corresponds to that according to FIG. 2: 2 arranged side by side. Since the pallet 27 having the two cutout holes 27a is also used for the vacuum chamber 16, the pallet 27 is used for the transport path 25 per one working cycle.
Thereby supplies two double-sided coated lenses S. Therefore, if the coating time ratios in the vacuum chambers 1 and 16 are equal, then 40 lenses must be simultaneously double-sided coated in the vacuum chamber 1. Since this is done in two rows, each lens row likewise consists of 20 lenses in the coating zone. However, the supply of all devices is doubled in the case of the example according to FIG.

In the vacuum chamber 16 according to FIG. 4, only the individual lenses S in each case are coated on both sides simultaneously in the vacuum chamber 1, starting from the consideration that they are double-sided as already explained in connection with FIG. The number of exposed lenses can be reduced to 20. Here again vacuum chamber 1
Since the coating time in 6 defines the continuity of the cycle, the length of the electrodes 7 and 7a in the vacuum chamber 1 and thus the coating zone can be shortened to about half the length, Can also be reduced in half, so that the dwell times of the lenses in the coating zone are matched again. In this case, since two lenses are provided at the exit of the carry-out gate 5 per work cycle,
In the last-mentioned case, it is only necessary to carry these lenses individually into the vacuum chamber 16, which in each case causes only a short delay of 30 seconds for the second lens. Is.

In any case, the individual vacuum chambers 1 and 16
Since the method inside can be controlled or adjusted in a great variety of ways,
It is possible to provide a wide pallet to the layer system cyclically or "just in time".

However, the pairwise coating of the lenses described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 is particularly suitable for coating spectacle lenses. That's because most eyeglass lenses are ordered in pairs. In this case, four coating surfaces are coated in the vacuum chamber 16 at the same time, and in this case, in the first vacuum chamber 1, 80 coating surfaces, that is, at the same time, are coated based on the coating time ratio of both processes. In the case of selective double-sided coating, 40 lenses, each having 2 coated surfaces, must be exposed to the coating method. This is accomplished by placing 20 lenses each in series on both haulways 28 and 29.

Instead of the through electrodes in FIGS. 2 and 4, it is also possible to provide a series arrangement of the individual electrodes, each forming a synergistic action of coating zones of the same length. In this case, it is possible to carry out an optimization of the layer growth by controlling the individual electrodes separately.

Further, the method in the second vacuum chamber 16 is
It is also possible to extend the time by operating the electrodes in the second vacuum chamber by pulse driving. This allows the length of the coating zone in the first vacuum chamber to be correspondingly short, but the transport speed is proportionally reduced.
In any case, the coating time in the second vacuum chamber is determined by the process parameters in the first vacuum chamber.

Further, by plasma treatment, including the deposition of an adhesion-mediating layer, for example to improve the adhesion between the lens material and the protective layer, at the beginning of the first vacuum chamber or in the vacuum chamber of the front row. It is also possible to provide additional treatment methods for the lens surface for the purpose of surface modification.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view of a lens or spectacle lens in a final state,

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of an apparatus for single-sided coating of several lenses in a first step and double-sided coating of individual lenses during a second step.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a belt-like carrier of the device according to FIG. 2 with several lenses during the first step, with particular emphasis on the two-rail carrier path,

FIG. 4 is a device similar to FIG. 2, but with a conveying device for the lenses with notched holes for simultaneous double-sided coating of the lenses in the first step and for double-sided coating of the two lenses in the second step; Vertical cross section of

5 shows a plan view of the carrier device according to FIG. 4 with two parallel carrier paths.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1,16 Vacuum chamber 2,3,17,18 End wall 4,19 Carry-in gate 5,20 Carry-out gate 6,21,26 Carrying device 7,23,24 Electrode 8 Insulation structure 9 Arrow 10 Magnet system 10a Magnetic tunnel 11, 12, 13, 15 Transport path 14 Rotating device 22,27 Pallet 22a, 27a Notch hole 25, 28, 29 Transport path S Lens P Protective layer

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Office reference number FI technical display location C23C 16/54

Claims (17)

[Claims] 1. An optical lens (S), in particular made of plastic, is coated with a transparent protective layer (P) and a transparent optical monolayer or multilayers in a vacuum in at least two steps, the first step being the first step. At the same time in the process, a predetermined amount of lenses,
Transparent protection by PCVD method in the coating zone, consisting essentially of oxygen and / or nitrogen compounds of silicon, having a thickness of 0.5-10 μm and a refractive index which is as close as possible to the refractive index of the lens material. In the method of providing the layer (P) and forming the optical layer (O) having a thickness smaller than that of the protective layer (P) in the second step, a) continuously in the coating zone of the first step by a passage method. Supplying a new lens aliquot and removing the coated aliquot, b) In a second step, the aliquot taken from the first step is passed through another pass-through method to obtain a transparent, reflection-reducing optical monolayer and By providing a multi-layer (O), c) The transportation speed or cycle period of the lens (S) in both steps is averaged per unit time, and Method of coating a lens, characterized in that the amount of the coated lens is adjusted as manufactured. 2. The number of coating surfaces of the lens (S) which are exposed to the first step at the same time is at least approximately the quotient of the coating time in the first step and the coating time in the second step. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that it corresponds to a product of the number of coated surfaces. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the partial quantity taken out from the first step and supplied to the second step is lenses 1-2. 4. In the first step, the lens (S) held by the carrying device (6) moving between the carry-in gate (4) and the carry-out gate (5) is coated on one side and the other is coated on one side. Turn the lens 180 degrees,
It is characterized in that it is returned to the carrying-in gate (4) again, delivered to the carrying device (6), the second surface is coated in a rolled state, and then the lens (S) is carried out from the carrying-out gate (5). The method of claim 1, wherein 5. The lens (S) is guided on the first conveying path (11) by the conveying device (6) during the one-side coating, and then the rolled lens (S) is transferred to the same conveying device (6).
5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that it is moved in a second conveying path (12) parallel to the first conveying path (1). 6. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that both sides of the lens (S) are coated simultaneously. 7. Method according to claim 6, characterized in that the lens (S) is guided by several transport paths (11, 12) parallel to one another. 8. The excitation energy of the plasma is coupled to the plasma by at least one electrode (7, 7a) arranged in a vacuum, the lens (S) being connected to the electrode (7, 7a).
2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that it is guided by at least one conveying path (11, 12) extending parallel to the major plane of a) and the longitudinal axis. 9. The lens (S) of the electrode (7, 7a) is provided by means of a closed magnetic tunnel (10a) of plasma, which has geometrically similar short and long sides around the electrode (7, 7a). 9.) A method according to claim 8, characterized in that the focusing is on the side facing (1). 10. Method according to claim 9, characterized in that both parallel conveying paths (11, 12) belong to the long sides of the magnetic tunnel. 11. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the lens (S) is rotated during coating about an axis which is upright with respect to the center of the coating surface. 12. The method according to claim 1, wherein a maximum of two coating surfaces are coated simultaneously in the second step. 13. The vacuum coating device of the first step and the vacuum coating device of the second step are arranged in series and are operated in the same cycle.
The method according to any one of 2 to 2. 14. A vacuum chamber (1), a carry-in gate (4), a carry-out gate (5) and both gates are connected together.
At least one transport path (11, 12) for the lens (S)
(7, 7a) for introducing excitation energy to the plasma, which has a
An apparatus for carrying out the method of claim 1 comprising:
Device for coating a lens, characterized in that at least one electrode (7, 7a) extends at least over at least one transport path (11, 12) of the lens (S). 15. At least one haulway (11, 1)
2) extends in a straight line and the electrodes (7, 7a) are of rectangular design, the major axis of which is at least one transport channel (1).
Device according to claim 14, characterized in that it extends parallel to the (1, 12). 16. The electrode (7, 7a) is made of a non-magnetic material that cannot be sputtered, and a magnet system (10) is provided on the side away from the lens (S), and the lens () of the electrode (7, 7a) is provided by the magnet system. The side facing S) has two short sides and two long sides, and is a closed rotating magnetic tunnel (10
15. Device according to claim 14, characterized in that, when a) is formed and there are two transport paths (11, 12), both transport paths (11, 12) belong to the long side of the magnetic tunnel. . 17. The carrying device (6) is characterized in that the lens (S) is taken out from the end portion of the first carrying path (11) and is turned over to be supplied to the starting end part of the second carrying path. Item 15. The apparatus according to Item 15.