A processing system for processing a flexible substrate is described. The processing system includes a vacuum chamber having a wall with an opening for the flexible substrate, a substrate support for supporting the flexible substrate during transportation of the flexible substrate through the opening, and a measurement assembly for measuring at least one of a property of the flexible substrate and a property of one or more coatings on the flexible substrate. The measurement assembly and the substrate support are attached to the wall.

A conductive film is formed on a flexible polymer support by applying a seed layer comprising gallium oxide, indium oxide, magnesium oxide, zinc oxide or mixture (including mixed oxides) thereof to the flexible polymer support, and applying an extensible, visible light-transmissive metal layer over the seed layer. The seed layer oxide desirably promotes deposition of the subsequently-applied metal layer in a more uniform or more dense fashion, or promotes earlier formation (viz., at a thinner applied thickness) of a continuous metal layer. The resulting films have high visible light transmittance and low electrical resistance.

A coated metallic substrate including at least a first coating of aluminum, such first coating having a thickness below 5 μm and being directly topped by a second coating including from 0.5 to 5.9% by weight of magnesium, the balance being zinc.

Employed is a roller-type continuous vapor-deposited film forming device in which a film-forming section and a preprocessing section provided with a plasma preprocessing device are arranged in series at a distance from each other. With a substrate transported at a high speed, plasma (P) is supplied to the substrate surface side while set to an electrically positive potential by a plasma preprocessing means for supplying the plasma toward the substrate (S) in a space enclosed in a preprocessing roller, and enclosed in a plasma supply means for supplying a plasma-forming gas and in a magnet (21), which is a magnetism formation means. An active preprocessed surface is formed on the surface of the substrate (S). An inorganic oxide vapor-deposited film having as a principal component thereof an aluminum oxide containing AL-C covalent bonds is immediately formed at high speed in succession on the preprocessed surface of the substrate to produce a highly adhesive transparent vapor-deposited film.

The invention relates to a device for forming coatings on surfaces of a component, band-shaped material, or tool, in which at least one wire-shaped or band-shaped material (2.1 and/or 2.2) is used for forming the coating and that is/are connected to a direct electrical current source, wherein an electric arc is formed between wire-shaped materials (2.1 and 2.2) or between one wire-shaped or band-shaped material and one anode or cathode, wherein wire-shaped or band-shaped material (2.1 and/or 2.2) may be fed by means of a feed device; and melted and/or evaporated material of the wire-shaped or band-shaped material (2.1 and/or 2.2) flows, by means of a gas jet (3) of a gas or gas mixture, through an inlet into the interior of a chamber (4) that can be heated to a temperature that is at least equal to the evaporation temperature of the at least one material used for the coating or of the material with the highest evaporation temperature, and the material(s) completely evaporates and exits through at least one opening (5) present on the chamber (4) and impinges on the surface to be coated of the component or tool (6) for forming the coating.

This disclosure describes a module web coating system and components thereof including a more uniform atmospheric control pumping mechanism and gas curtain separation system. A modular web coating system may include an unwind module, any number of process modules, and a rewind module. The process modules are interchangeable and independently operable. In addition, this disclosure describes a more uniform pumping system in which process gas is removed from multiple locations or slits spaced around a process chamber and, in an example, around a process device such as a deposition source. The gas curtain system utilizes a zone between process chambers into which separation gas is injected. Gas from the chambers is continuously removed thereby operating the chambers under negative pressure and preventing process gas from one chamber bleeding into an adjacent chamber.

Provided is a film-forming apparatus capable of cleaning a discharge apparatus under a state in which a film-forming space and a cleaning gas ambience are separated from each other while continuing to form a film on an object to be film-formed having a film-like shape. The film-forming apparatus includes a cleaning chamber configured to be connected to a film-forming space when a shutter is opened, and to be separated from the film-forming space and cause a cleaning gas to be discharged into an internal space when the shutter is closed; means for moving a discharge apparatus between a cleaning position inside the cleaning chamber and a film-forming position closer to a cylindrical member than the cleaning position; and a control apparatus that controls the discharge apparatus to discharge the raw material gas when the discharge apparatus is moved to the film-forming position, and controls the shutter to be closed so as to fill the cleaning chamber with the cleaning gas when the discharge apparatus is moved to the cleaning position.

A method of coating a flexible substrate in a roll-to-roll deposition system is described. The method includes unwinding the flexible substrate from an unwinding roll, the flexible substrate having a first coating on a first main side thereof; measuring a lateral positioning of the first coating while guiding the flexible substrate to a coating drum; adjusting a lateral position of the flexible substrate on the coating drum depending on the measured lateral positioning of the first coating; and depositing a second coating on the flexible substrate, particularly on a second main side of the flexible substrate opposite the first main side. Further described is a vacuum deposition apparatus for conducting the methods described herein.

A cathode target assembly for use in sputtering target material onto a substrate includes a generally cylindrical target and a magnetic array. The magnetic array is adapted to provide a plasma confinement region adjacent an outer surface of the target. End portions of the magnetic array are adapted to make the shape and strength of the confinement field at the turns of the racetrack closely match the shape and strength of the confinement field along the straight part of the racetrack so as to significantly reduce cross-corner effect.

Provided are a Zn—Mg alloy plated steel sheet and a method for manufacturing same. The Zn—Mg alloy plated steel sheet comprises a base steel sheet and a Zn—Mg plating layer formed on the base steel sheet, wherein the content of Mg in the Zn—Mg plating layer is 8 weight % or less (provided that 0 weight % is excluded), and the Zn—Mg plating layer is a compound phase of Zn and Mg2Zn11. According to the present invention, provided are a Zn—Mg alloy plated steel sheet and a method for manufacturing the same, wherein the Zn—Mg alloy plated steel sheet has excellent corrosion resistance, high adhesion, and superior surface quality of metallic luster.