Optical Article Having a Conductive Anti-Reflection Coating
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Europaisches Patentamt 0101033 J European Patent Office Publication number: B1 Office europeen des brevets EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION 08.11.89 Intel.4: G 02 B 1/10 Date of publication of patent specification: Application number: 83107752.4 Date of filing: 05.08.83 Optical article having a conductive anti-reflection coating. (§) Priority: 09.08.82 US 406302 Proprietor: OPTICAL COA1COATING LABORATORY, INC. 2789 Northpoint Parkway Date of publication of application: Santa Rosa, CA 95401 (US) 22.02.84 Bulletin 84/08 Inventor: Hahn, Robert E. Publication of the grant of the patent: 1657EICaminoWay 08.1 1.89 Bulletin 89/45 Santa Rosa California 95404 (US) Inventor: Jones, Thomas R. 2139 Saint John Court Designated Contracting States: Santa Rosa California 95401 (US) AT BE CH DE FR GB IT LI LU NL SE Inventor: Berning, Peter H. 1287 Bingtree Way Sebastopol California 95472 (US) References cited: BE-A- 560 087 DE-A-968248 Representative: von Fiiner, Alexander, Dr. et al US-A-2852415 Patentanwalte v. Fiiner, Ebbinghaus, Finck US-A-3 679 291 Mariahilfplatz2&3 CO US-A-3914516 D-8000 Miinchen 90 (DE) US-A-4313 647 vol. 7, 1974, CO APPLIED OPTICS, 13, no. July cited: New York, US; H. DUPOISOT References CO pages 1605-1609, GLASTECHNISCHE BERICHTE, vol. 53, 9, al.: lumiere interferentiels a larges no. o et "Pieges a 245-258, Frankfurt am Main, DE; bandes azimuthale et spectrale" 1980, pages H.J. GLASER: "Verfahren zur Beschichtung von 5 Fensterscheiben mit Sonnen- und Warmeschutzschichten" months from the publication of the mention of the grant of the European patent, any person may o Note- Within nine shall notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to the European patent granted. Notice of opposition give the fee has been be filed in a written reasoned statement. It shall not be deemed to have been filed until opposition convention). LU paid. (Art. 99(1 ) European patent Courier Press, Leamington Spa, England. EP 0 101 033 B1 Description new and improved conducting anti reflecting coat- ing. This invention relates to antireflection coatings In general it is an object of the present invention and more particularly to conductive antireflection to provide an optical article having a conductive coatings. 5 antireflection coating thereon. Antireflection coatings have found widespread Another object of the invention is to provide a application throughout the field of optics and coating of the above character in which the layer electro-optics where it is desirable or necessary to adjacent to the incident medium (air) is a layer of reduce the reflectance at any optical interface, as high index conducting material which is readily for example, air to glass. Application includes 10 accessible. camera lenses, copier platens, cover glasses for Another object of the invention is to provide a instruments glare reduction coatings on panels coating of the above character in which the for cathode ray tube and other display devices. various layers of the coating provide an optical Optical thin film coatings utilized for the various performance which closely approximates that of applications include single layer coatings, such as 15 their non-conducting counterparts. coatings formed of magnesium fluoride, two Other object of the invention is to provide an layer coatings characterized as V-coats to mini- optical article having a coating of the character mize reflectance at a single wavelength region, described which has both optical antireflection and multi-layer broad-band coatings such as properties and electrical conducting properties. those disclosed in United States Letters Patent 20 Another object of the invention is to provide an No. 3,185,020 that produce low reflectance over a article having a coating thereon of the above relatively broad wavelength region, as for character which has high transmission and low example, the visible spectrum. Transparent con- absorption. ductive coatings have also found widespread Another object of the invention is to provide an appications within recent years or wherever elec- 25 article having a coating thereon of the above trical conductivity and high optical transparency character which permits direct electrical contact are required. For such purposes films of indium to the conductive layer. tin oxide, cadmium stannate, tin antimony oxide Additional objects and features of the invention and others have been utilized in various displays, will appear from the following description in as for example, liquid crystal displays, visually 30 which preferred embodiments are set forth in transmitting window heating elements for aircraft conjunction with the accompanying drawings. windows, static bleed coatings and heat retaining Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of an optical visible light transmitting coatings for lamp article having a conductive antireflection coating envelopes, etc. However, all presently known thereon incorporating the present invention. transparent conducting film materials have high 35 Figure 2 is a graph showing the performance of indices of refraction with values typically in the the coating shown in Figure 1. range of 1.8 to 2.2. Use of such materials having Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of another high indices of refraction frequently leads to the optical article having a coating thereon incor- undesirable effect that films of these materials porating another embodiment of the present deposited on glass substrates increase visual 40 invention. reflectance which often reduces device or system Figure 4 is a graph showing the performance of performance. Also, because of the high index of the coating shown in Figure 2. refraction of transparent conductive materials, Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of another the design of antireflection coatings with electri- optical article having a coating thereon incor- cal conductivity has been seriously constrained. 45 porating another embodiment of the present Presently available wide band anti-reflection coat- invention. ings with electrical conductivity employ either a Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of still another half wave layer or part of a modified quarter wave optical article having a coating thereon incor- layer nearest the substrate of a conventional porating another embodiment of the present quarter wave-half wave-quarter wave design. 50 invention. Such designs have conductance values that are Figure 7 is a curve showing the performance of relatively high and relatively low respectively. The the coating shown in Figure 6. optical performance of such coatings is compar- In Figure 1, there is shown an optical article able to, but generally less efficient than, the non having a conductive antireflection coating conducting designs on which they are based. In 55 thereon incorporating the present invention. As addition, in order to use such conducting anti- shown, the optical article 10 consists of a suitable reflection coatings it has been necessary to make transparent substrate such as glass having an electrical contact to the conductive layer by index of refraction ranging from 1.5 to 2.0 and various methods such as by scratching through typically having an index of refraction of 1 .52. The the non-conducting layer, using masks to prevent 60 substrate 11 is provided with first and second overcoating the conducting layer or by providing optical surfaces 12 and 13. An antireflection coat- bus bars to provide the necessary physical con- ing 14 is carried by one of the surfaces 12 and 13 tact to the conducting layer. Such contact struc- of the substrate 11 as, for example, surface 13 as tures add to the complexity and costs of the shown in Figure 1. resulting product. There is therefore a need for a 65 The conducting antireflection coating 14 con- EP 0 101 033 B1 anti reflection sists of a layer 16 formed of a material. having a obtained from use of a conducting low index of refraction ranging from 1.35 to 1.46 coating 14 as shown in Figure 1 is shown in Figure for example, magnesium fluoride having an 2. In the coatings providing the curves in Figure 2, as, of index or refraction of 1.38. Typically, the layer of there have been added 4.5 nanometers con- low index material would have an optical thick- s ducting material to quarterwave layers at 550 (curve ness for use in the visible region of approximately nanometers (curve 21), 440 nanometers As be one-quarterwave for a design wavelength of 22) and 330 nanometers (curve 23). can of approximately 550 nanometers. A thin trans- seen from Figure 2, the addition of a thin layer the to parent conducting layer 17 also forms a part of conducting material shifts spectral curve low the coating 14 and overlies the layer of low index w slightly longer wavelengths but retains material. Because of the thickness of the thin reflectance comparable to a single layer of mag- transparent conducting layer 17, the thickness of nesium fluoride. In a nearly equivalent manner be reduced the layer 16 is slightly less than the conventional the magnesium fluoride layer can optical thickness for reasons herein- slightly in thickness to keep the reflectance mini- quarterwave the after explained. The thin transparent conducting w mum at the initial location. In any event, is the to layer 17 would have a suitable thickness ranging addition of a thin conducting layer key from 1.0 to 10.0 nanometers with the preferred retaining the essential characteristics of the thickness ranging from 4.0 to 6.0 nanometers. single-layer antireflection coating. It has been Materials found to be suitable for the thin trans- found that it would be unacceptable to place the parent conducting layer have been indium tin 20 thin transparent conducting layer over a mag- oxide, cadmium stannate and antimony oxide. nesium fluoride coating of conventional thickness of the The magnesium fluoride layer can be deposited in because this would shift the performance would be a conventional manner well known to those skil- coating upscale so that it no longer led in the art.