Patent BE-1017912-A3 (BE)
Title: Device for coating substrates that move in rolling direction, comprises a confinement enclosure in which vapor source of a coating material is present, an adjustment unit comprising sealing elements, and a plasma creating unit
Filed: 2007-12-21
Granted: 2009-11-03
Abstract: The coating device comprises a confinement enclosure in which a vapor source of coating material is present and having a treatment zone (6) contacting with the vapor source through an opening for treatment, an adjustment unit comprising sealing elements for controlling the vapor stream between the interior of the confinement enclosure and the vapor source, and a unit for creating plasma inside the confinement enclosure. The source comprises a retention tank (4), and generates a vapor stream for coating a substrate. The sealing elements are moved between opening and closing positions. The coating device comprises a confinement enclosure in which a vapor source of coating material is present and having a treatment zone (6) contacting with the vapor source through an opening for treatment, an adjustment unit comprising sealing elements for controlling the vapor stream between the interior of the confinement enclosure and the vapor source, and a unit for creating plasma inside the confinement enclosure. The source comprises a retention tank (4), and generates a vapor stream for coating a substrate. The sealing elements are moved between an opening position, in which the vapor stream moves from the confinement enclosure through the treatment opening towards a passage and the treatment zone, and a closing position, in which the treatment zone is insulated with respect to the confinement enclosure and the vapor source. The confinement enclosure allows a free circulation and distribution of the stream around the passage. The passage extends along the rolling direction between an inlet opening (7) and an outlet opening (8) of the confinement enclosure. The treatment zone is located in the passage. The passage: has walls with the treatment opening; and are partially constituted of the sealing element that is gradually moved from an opening position, in which the vapor flow penetrates the passage from the vapor source through the treatment opening, and a closing position, in which the interior of the passage is insulated with respect to the vapor source. The sealing elements are formed by lamellae, each of which is articulated with respect to the treatment opening to enable the sealing elements to move parallely or transversely between the opening position and the closing position. The lamellae have an oblong form of which the longitudinal direction extends parallel to the rolling direction of the substrates between the inlet opening and outlet opening of the confinement enclosure. The sealing elements are activated independently with respect to one another for adjusting the distribution of vapor towards the treatment zone depending on the section of substrates to be covered. The containment enclosure comprises heated walls. The containment enclosure and the treatment zone are contained in a vacuum chamber (5). The plasma creating unit evaporates and then polarizes the coating material into negative average with respect to a counter electrode. The retention tank is fed with liquid zinc using a feeding tube that is maintained in the vacuum chamber. An independent claim is included for a process for coating substrates that move in a direction of rolling through a treatment zone.