A method for preparing a transparent sheet material comprising an organic, polymeric substrate and inorganic layers on each side of the substrate, the method comprising the steps of: a) providing an apparatus for generating a glow discharge plasma, said apparatus comprising at least two opposing electrodes, a power supply for the electrodes and a treatment space between the electrodes; b) providing the treatment space with a gas mixture at about atmospheric pressure, the gas mixture comprising a reactive gas and a precursor; and c) moving a transparent substrate through the treatment space comprising the gas mixture at an average speed of at least 1 m/min while applying an electrical potential across the electrodes, thereby generating a glow discharge plasma in the treatment space and depositing an inorganic layer on one or both sides of the substrate; wherein the electrodes apply a discharge energy to the substrate of less than 25 J/cm.sup.2.

A method of manufacturing a gas barrier film includes depositing an atomic layer deposition film on a surface of a plastic substrate to form a gas barrier laminate, using atomic layer deposition; depositing a curable resin layer on a support from which the layer is peelable, to form an overcoat laminate; laminating the overcoat laminate to the gas barrier laminate, with the atomic layer deposition film and the curable resin layer facing each other, and transferring the curable resin layer onto the atomic layer deposition film; curing the curable resin layer through application of heat or an active energy beam; and releasing the curable resin layer from the support.

The disclosed methods and apparatus improve the fabrication of solid fibers and microstructures. In many embodiments, the fabrication is from gaseous, solid, semi-solid, liquid, critical, and supercritical mixtures using one or more low molar mass precursor(s), in combination with one or more high molar mass precursor(s). The methods and systems generally employ the thermal diffusion/Soret effect to concentrate the low molar mass precursor at a reaction zone, where the presence of the high molar mass precursor contributes to this concentration, and may also contribute to the reaction and insulate the reaction zone, thereby achieving higher fiber growth rates and/or reduced energy/heat expenditures together with reduced homogeneous nucleation. In some embodiments, the invention also relates to the permanent or semi-permanent recording and/or reading of information on or within fabricated fibers and microstructures. In some embodiments, the invention also relates to the fabrication of certain functionally-shaped fibers and microstructures. In some embodiments, the invention may also utilize laser beam profiling to enhance fiber and microstructure fabrication.

A CVD or PVD coating device comprises a housing and a gas inlet organ secured to the housing via a retaining device, the gas inlet organ having a gas outlet surface with gas outlet openings. The retaining device is only secured at its horizontal edge to the housing so as to stabilize the retaining device with respect to deformations and temperature. The gas inlet organ is secured, at a plurality of suspension points, to the retaining device by means of a plurality of hanging elements distributed over the entire horizontal surface of the retaining device. The retaining device has mechanical stabilization elements formed by a retaining frame having vertical walls that are interconnected at vertical connection lines. An actively cooled heat shield is situated between the retaining device and the gas inlet organ.

A manufacturing method for a laminated body having a laminated film and an adhesive layer, the manufacturing method including a step of forming the adhesive layer on one surface of the laminated film, wherein the laminated film is a laminated film on which at least a substrate, and a thin film layer containing at least silicon are laminated; and the step of forming the adhesive layer includes forming the adhesive layer on a surface of a laminated film material in which the thin film layer is laminated, while conveying the laminated film material in which the laminated film is continuous in strip shape in a lengthwise direction, and while applying a tensile force of at least 0.5 N/mm.sup.2 and less than 50 N/mm.sup.2 per unit of cross-sectional area, in the lengthwise direction, to the laminated film material.

Method of depositing an atomic layer on a substrate. The method comprises supplying a precursor gas from a precursor-gas supply of a deposition head that may be part of a rotatable drum. The precursor gas is provided from the precursor-gas supply towards the substrate. The method further comprises moving the precursor-gas supply by rotating the deposition head along the substrate which in its turn is moved along the rotating drum.

Described herein is an apparatus and nozzle head for coating a surface of a substrate. The apparatus comprising a process chamber having inside a gas atmosphere, a nozzle head arranged inside the process chamber, precursor supply and discharge means. The nozzle head including one or more first precursor nozzles for subjecting the surface of the substrate to the first precursor, one or more second precursor nozzles for subjecting the surface of the substrate to the second precursor and one or more purge gas channels between the first and second precursor zones. In certain aspects, the purge gas channel is at least partly open to the gas atmosphere comprising purge gas for subjecting the surface of the substrate to purge gas.

Provided is a light extraction substrate capable of achieving both light extraction efficiency and preservability. Before forming a cap layer, a step of reducing in-membrane water content such that the in-membrane water content of a layer formed between a gas barrier layer and the cap layer is less than 1.0×10.sup.15/mg is performed. The in-membrane water content of less than 1.0×10.sup.15/mg is maintained until at least a step of forming the cap layer after the step of reducing the in-membrane water content, and the cap layer is then formed through a dry process.

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.

The present invention relates to sensor arrays that are more accurate, more sensitive, and more specific with respect to the material that is detected and capable of detecting one or more materials over a wide range. Such sensor arrays can comprises sensors comprising pattern illumination-based annealed coated substrate and one or more functional molecules and process of using same. The method of designing and process of making the sensors for such sensor array yields components that can have one or more electronic and/or optical functionalities that are integrated on the same substrate or film and to which one or more functional molecules can be attached to yield a sensor. Such processes when coupled with the design methods provided herein, allow for the rapid, efficient device prototyping, design change and evolution in the lab and on the production side.