Flex Products, Inc.

Optical Coating Laboratory, Inc.

Jds Uniphase Corporation

Paul G. Coombs

Roger W. Phillips

Lauren R. Wendt

Lauren R Wendt

Roger Winston Phillips

David W Todd

Myra Tan-Johnson

Paul G Coombs

Charles Thomas Markantes

Scott C McEldowney

Joseph H Apfel

Nancy Lee Yamasaki

Ralf Erz

Barrier film with a high colorless transparency comprising a flexible plastic substrate. A barrier layer is formed on the surface and has a thickness ranging from approximately 50 to less than 200 Angstroms and is formed of a material selected from the group of aluminum oxide, tin oxide and yttrium oxide. An additional barrier layer formed of silicon dioxide may also be formed on the barrier layer.

Barrier film having high colorless transparency and method

An attenuation filter contains absorbing thin film layers, which comprise gray metals or metal compounds. The attenuation filter offers significant advantages when used in optical communication systems subjected to a relatively high flux of incident light. It was surprisingly discovered that particular thin film materials provide significant protection to the attenuating thin film layer thereby improving the temporal stability and power handling capacity over prior art devices.

Optical attenuation filter

Method for forming barrier film

The optical properties (absorption, reflection, transmittance, transparency) and physical attributes (hardness, friction, durability, etc.) of metal oxides, nitrides, or films that combine these materials can be modified by adding fluorine to the deposition mixture. The extent of change in properties depends on the amount of fluorine incorporated. Contrary to previous information, the presence of fluorine does not prevent adhesion of overlayers such as hard carbon, hydrogenated carbon, or diamond-like carbon. Considering for example massive silicon oxynitride hardcoat layers which are part of wear resistant composite windows for visible spectral applications, preferably fluorine is incorporated in a relatively very thin surface-adjacent region or layer of the hardcoat on the side thereof on which a carbonaceous layer such as DLC is formed. As a result, the index of refraction of the very thin surface region is reduced, the surface region can be used as an effective interference layer, absorption is reduced, reflectance is reduced, transmittance and transparency are improved, and durability is maintained. These fluorine-modified films can be used in many optical designs, including windows or wear resistant coating for laser scanner windows and ophthalmic applications.

Fluorine-containing abrasion-resistant optical thin film devices

A package or wrapping comprised of a material in the form of a liquid or a solid which is sensitive to water and oxygen. A coated barrier film is sealed about the material and forms a sealed enclosure about the material and serves to protect the material from water vapor and oxygen. The coated barrier film has low oxygen and water permeability and comprises a flexible substantially transparent plastic substrate with first and second surfaces and a thickness ranging from 1 to 7 mils. A substantially colorless barrier coating is formed on at least one of the surfaces and consists solely of graphite free of hydrogen and has a thickness ranging from 50.ANG. to 300.ANG.. The barrier film has a reduced water transmission rate and a reduced oxygen transmission rate with respect to the uncoated substrate and has a visible transparency of 30% or greater.

Coated barrier film and packaging utilizing the same and method

Barrier film with a high colorless transparency comprising a flexible plastic substrate. A barrier layer is formed on the surface and has a thickness ranging from approximately 50 to 100 Angstroms and is formed of a material selected from the group of aluminum oxide, tin oxide and yttrium oxide. An additional barrier layer formed of silicon dioxide may also be formed on the barrier layer.

Flexible optical medium comprising a flexible substrate having a surface. An imaging layer is carried by the surface and a protective overcoat of silicon dioxide is provided on the imaging layer to provide abrasion resistance for said imaging layer.

Flexible optical medium with dielectric protective overcoat

A barrier film comprising a flexible substantially of transparent substrate having first and second surfaces. A substantially colorless barrier coating is formed on at least one of said surfaces of a graphite material having a thickness ranging from 50 to 350 .ANG..

Barrier film and method

Metal catalytic film comprising a flexible substrate having a surface, a catalytic metal layer adherent to said surface of the substrate and having a thickness ranging from 200 to 1000 Angstroms. Method for forming metal catalytic film on a flexible substrate having a surface in a vacuum chamber comprising the steps of evacuating the vacuum chamber to a predetermined vacuum, introducing a substantially inert heavy gas into the vacuum chamber, creating a vapor stream of molecules of a catalytic metal in the vacuum chamber whereby the molecules of the catalytic metal are scattered by the inert heavy gas and are subsequently deposited upon the surface of the substrate to form a catalytic metal layer to a thickness ranging from 200 to 1000 Angstroms.

Growing community of inventors

Santa Rosa, CA, United States of America

Lauren R Wendt