Process for the manufacture of deposition films and apparatus therefor

Abstract

An apparatus for use in a process for the substantially continuous manufacture of a silicon oxide deposition film by evaporating a deposition material composed mainly of a combination of silicon and silicon oxide or silicon oxide alone by heating the material to continuously form a deposition layer composed mainly of silicon oxide and having a thickness of from 100 to 3,000 .ANG. on the surface of a travelling flexible plastic film. The apparatus comprises a vacuum chamber and, within the vacuum chamber, a means to allow a flexible plastic film to travel continuously, a heat evaporation member having a means to hold a shaped deposition material and a means to evaporate the shaped deposition material, the holding means having a supply port for the shaped deposition material, an outlet for evaporation residue and an opening for evaporation of the deposition material, and the means to substantially continuously supply the shaped deposition material being connected to the supply port to the heat evaporation member and to substantially continuously discharge evaporation residue from the heat evaporation member.