Cardinal Cg Company

Nv Bekaert Sa

General Plasma Inc.

Cardinal Solar Technologies Company

Klaus Hartig

Annette J Krisko

Gary L Pfaff

Roger D O'Shaughnessy

Kari B Myli

John R German

Roger Stanek

Bob Bond

James Eugene Brownlee

Leah M Miller

Keith James Burrows

John Eric Madocks

Tomas Nyberg

Greg Vance

Johan Vanderstraeten

Sören Berg

Steve E Smith

David Stebbins

Roger D O'shaughnessy

Roger D O'SHAUGHNESSY

John Germain

Some embodiments provide a magnetron sputtering apparatus including a vacuum chamber within which a controlled environment may be established, a target comprising one or more sputterable materials, wherein the target includes a racetrack-shaped sputtering zone that extends longitudinally along a longitudinal axis and comprises a straightaway area sandwiched between a first turnaround area and a second turnaround area, a gas distribution system that supplies a first gas mixture to the first turnaround area and/or the second turnaround area and supplies a second gas mixture to the straightaway area, wherein the first gas mixture reduces a sputtering rate relative to the second gas mixture. In some cases, the first gas mixture includes inert gas having a first atomic weight and the second gas mixture includes inert gas having a second atomic weight, wherein the second atomic weight is heavier than the first atomic weight.

Sputtering apparatus including gas distribution system

The invention provides low-emissivity coatings that are highly reflective of infrared radiation. The coating includes three infrared-reflection film regions, which may each comprise silver.

High infrared reflection coatings, thin film coating deposition methods and associated technologies

Low-emissivity coatings that are highly reflective to infrared-radiation. The coating includes three infrared-reflection film regions, which may each include silver.

Deposition methods for high quality reflectance coatings

High quality reflectance coatings

A multiple-pane insulating glazing unit may include multiple panes of transparent material and a layer of electrically controllable optically active material that provides controllable privacy for the glazing unit. Despite efforts to fully black out the multiple-pane insulating glazing unit by switching the optically active material from a transmissive state to a privacy state, the glazing unit may exhibit some residual direct visible transmission. In some examples, the multiple-pane insulating glazing unit may include a light emitting element positioned to direct light at the layer of optically active material to address this issue. Light emitted by the light emitting element may reflect and mask residual visibility through the electrically controllable optically active material.

Light masked smart glazing

A thermoelectric device for use with solar cells or other heat sources. A substrate has a manufactured surface with a plurality of highland features and lowland features. Each highland feature defines a peak adjacent to which there is an interface of two different film regions (formed of two different metals, two different semiconductors, or one metal and one semiconductor). The two film regions diverge away from each other with increasing distance from the interface and terminate at distal end regions. In response to a temperature difference between the interface and the distal end regions, the device produces a voltage.

Thermoelectric device technology

The invention provides a substrate bearing a low-emissivity coating. The low-emissivity coating comprises at least one graded film region. In certain embodiments, at least one graded film region is provided between the two infrared-reflective layers of a double-type low-emissivity coating. The graded film region has a substantially continuously decreasing concentration of a first dielectric material and a substantially continuously increasing concentration of a second dielectric material. Also provided are methods of depositing such low-emissivity coatings and substrates bearing these coatings.

Concentration-modulated coatings

The invention provides a coater, and methods of using the coater, for depositing thin films onto generally-opposed major surfaces of a sheet-like substrate. The coater has a substrate transport system adapted for supporting the substrate in a vertical-offset configuration wherein the substrate is not in a perfectly vertical position but rather is offset from vertical by an acute angle. The transport system defines a path of substrate travel extending through the coater. The transport system is adapted for conveying the substrate along the path of substrate travel. Preferably, the transport system includes a side support for supporting a rear major surface of the substrate. The preferred side support bounds at least one passage through which coating material passes when such coating material is deposited onto the substrate's rear major surface. Preferably, the coater includes at least one coating apparatus (e.g., which is adapted for delivering coating material) on each of two sides of the path of substrate travel. The coating apparatuses preferably are adapted for depositing coatings onto both of the generally-opposed major surfaces of the substrate in a single pass of the substrate along the path of substrate travel.

Vertical-offset coater and methods of use

The invention provides methods and equipment for depositing a low-maintenance coating.

Low-maintenance coating technology

Growing community of inventors

Avoca, WI, United States of America

Klaus Hartig