Vacuum Deposition onto Webs, Films and Foils

Roll-to-roll vacuum deposition is the technology that applies an even coating to a flexible material that can be held on a roll and provides a much faster and cheaper method of bulk coating than deposition onto single pieces or non-flexible surfaces, such as glass. This technology has been used in industrial-scale applications for some time, including a wide range of metalized packaging (e.g. snack packets). Its potential as a high-speed, scalable process has seen an increasing range of new products emerging that employ this cost-effective technology:
- solar energy products are moving from rigid panels onto flexible substrates, which are cheaper and more versatile
- in a similar way, electronic circuit 'boards' can be produced on a flexible polymer, creating a new range of 'flexible electronics' products
- flexible displays are another area of new technology in vacuum coating, with flexible display panels and light sources emerging Charles Bishop has written this book to meet the need he identified, as a trainer and consultant to the vacuum coatings industry, for a non-mathematical guide to the technologies, equipment, processes and applications of vacuum deposition. His book is aimed at a wide audience of engineers, technicians and production management. It also provides a guide to the subject for sectors in which vacuum deposition is a novel technology, such as solar energy and flexible electronics.
- Bishop's non-mathematical explanation of vacuum deposition technologies will empower a wide range of technicians, production managers and engineers in related disciplines to improve performance and maximize productivity from vacuum coating systems
- Provides the knowledge and understanding needed to specify systems more effectively and enhance the dialogue between non-specialists and suppliers / engineers
- Provides those in the rapidly expanding fields of solar energy, display panels and flexible electronics with the know-how to unlock the potential of vacuum coating to transform their processes and products

Charles started his working life as an apprentice in mechanical engineering finishing as a toolmaker. He has a degree in Materials Engineering and Masters and Doctorate Degrees by research in vacuum deposition onto polymer webs. He now has accumulated over 35 years experience in vacuum deposition onto webs with the last 15 spent running his own consultancy business. He has published over 85 technical articles and papers, has 5 patents & has run training courses in Asia, Europe and USA. He has written two books 'A guide to roll-to-roll vacuum deposition of barrier coatings' and 'Vacuum Deposition onto Webs, Films & Foils', now into the 2nd edition and contributed chapters on transparent conducting coatings and packaging coatings in two other books. Charles is a Blog editor on behalf of AIMCAL and has a regular column in Converting Quarterly.

Section I. Vacuum Basics.1 What is a vacuum?2 Products using vacuum deposited coatings3 Pressure Measurement4 Pumping. 5 Process Diagnostics & Coating Characteristics. 6 Leaks, water vapour and leak testing.7 Mass spectrometers, Helium leak detectors & residual gas analysers.Section II Substrates, surface modification and nucleation.8 Substrates - surface quality, cleaning - adhesion & adhesion testing9 Adhesion and adhesion tests.10 Surface treatment of webs & foils.11 Polymer coating basic information.12 Nucleation, coalescence & film growth.13 Pattern metallization.Section III. Process.14 The D.C. Glow Discharge or Plasma15 Electron beam (e-beam) evaporation.16 Thermal evaporation.17 Radiant heated and Induction heated sources.18 Chemical Vapour Deposition / Polymerisation onto webs.19 Atomic layer deposition (ALD).20 Planar Magnetron Sputtering source design and operation. 21 Magnetron sputtering source design options.22 Reactive deposition - set-up & controlSection IV. System issues.23 Machine specification & build issues. - Risk Analysis - process.24 Heat load on the webs/foils.25 Process variables.26 Mechanical design.27 Winding webs in vacuum.28 Machine building trends.29 System design.30 Hazards.31 Troubleshooting.32 Final thoughts