The present invention is directed to a method for preparing a coated optical article including providing a non-conductive substrate; forming a conductive coating layer over the substrate; electrodepositing a first electrodepositable coating composition over the conductive coating layer to form a first electrodeposited inorganic coating layer; and electrodepositing a second electrodepositable coating composition over the first electrodeposited coating layer to form a second electrodeposited inorganic coating layer thereover, thereby forming a multi-layer antireflective inorganic coating over the conductive coating layer. Each of the first electrodepositable coating composition and the second electrodepositable coating composition is different one from the other, and each includes a sol prepared from a composition of a metal oxide precursor and protic acid such that each coating composition is hydrolyzed. Coated optical articles are also provided.

An optical film structure that includes: an optical film comprising a physical thickness from about 50 nm to about 3000 nm, and a silicon-containing nitride or a silicon-containing oxynitride. The optical film exhibits a maximum hardness of greater than 18 GPa, as measured by a Berkovich Indenter Hardness Test over an indentation depth range from about 100 nm to about 500 nm on a hardness stack comprising a test optical film with a physical thickness of about 2 microns disposed on an inorganic oxide test substrate, the test optical film having the same composition as the optical film. Further, the optical film exhibits an optical extinction coefficient (k) of less than 110.sup.2 at a wavelength of 400 nm and a refractive index (n) of greater than 1.8 at a wavelength of 550 nm.

A reflective mask blank capable of obtaining high contrast at the edges of a phase shift film pattern. Provided is a reflective mask blank comprising a multilayer reflective film and a phase shift film that shifts the phase of EUV light formed in that order on a substrate, wherein root mean square roughness (Rms), obtained by measuring a 1 m1 m region on the surface of the phase shift film with an atomic force microscope, is not more than 0.50 nm, and power spectrum density at a spatial frequency of 10 to 100 m.sup.1 is not more than 17 nm.sup.4.

A material including a transparent substrate coated with a stack acting on infrared radiation includes at least one functional layer and at least one upper protective layer deposited above at least a part of the functional layer. The upper protective layer is a hydrogenated carbon layer, within which layer the carbon atoms form carbon-carbon and carbon-hydrogen bonds and are essentially in an sp.sup.2 hybridization state.

In certain example embodiments, a coated article includes a carbon-doped zirconium based layer before heat treatment (HT). The coated article is heat treated sufficiently to cause the carbon-doped zirconium oxide and/or nitride based layer to result in a carbon-doped zirconium oxide based layer that is scratch resistant and/or chemically durable. The doping of the layer with carbon (C) has been found to improve wear resistance.

Certain example embodiments of this invention relate to coated articles including noble metal (e.g., Ag) and polymeric hydrogenated diamond like carbon (DLC) (e.g., a-C:H, a-C:H:O) composite material having antibacterial and photocatalytic properties, and/or methods of making the same. A glass substrate supports a buffer layer, a matrix comprising the noble metal and DLC, a proton-conducting layer that may comprising zirconium oxide in certain example embodiments, and a layer comprising titanium oxide. The layer comprising titanium oxide may be photocatalytic and optionally may further include carbon and/or nitrogen. The proton-conducting layer may facilitate the creation of electron-hole pairs and, in turn, promote the antibacterial properties of the coated article. The morphology of the layer comprising titanium oxide and/or channels formed therein may enable Ag ions produced from matrix to migrate therethrough.

Near-infrared shielding material fine particles that exhibit an effect of maintaining a high transmittance in a visible light region while shielding a light in a near-infrared region more efficiently than tungsten oxide and composite tungsten oxide of a conventional technique, and the method for producing the same, and a dispersion liquid containing the near-infrared shielding material fine particles. The near-infrared shielding material fine particles are composite tungsten oxide containing a hexagonal crystal structure, and a lattice constant of the composite tungsten oxide fine particles is 7.3850 or more and 7.4186 or less on the a-axis, and 7.5600 or more and 7.6240 or less on the c-axis, and a particle size of the near-infrared shielding material fine particles is 100 nm or less.

A composite material for a pharmaceutical packaging is provided that includes a substrate and a protective layer. The substrate has a contact region in contact with the protective layer. The contact region includes a contact area between the substrate and the protective layer and a region of the substrate close to the surface. The substrate is made of glass or of a cyclic olefin polymer or a cyclic olefin copolymer, while the protective layer is made of ceramic material. The substrate in the contact region is different from the substrate outside the contact region.

A processing system for forming an optical coating on a substrate is provided, wherein the optical coating including an anti-reflective coating and an oleophobic coating, the system comprising: a linear transport processing section configured for processing and transporting substrate carriers individually and one at a time in a linear direction; at least one evaporation processing system positioned in the linear transport processing system, the evaporation processing system configured to form the oleophobic coating; a batch processing section configured to transport substrate carriers in unison about an axis; at least one ion beam assisted deposition processing chamber positioned in the batch processing section, the ion beam assisted deposition processing chamber configured to deposit layer of the anti-reflective coating; a plurality of substrate carriers for mounting substrates; and, means for transferring the substrate carriers between the linear transport processing section and the batch processing section without exposing the substrate carrier to atmosphere.

A reflective mask blank capable of obtaining high contrast at the edges of a phase shift film pattern. Provided is a reflective mask blank comprising a multilayer reflective film and a phase shift film that shifts the phase of EUV light formed in that order on a substrate, wherein root mean square roughness (Rms), obtained by measuring a 1 m1 m region on the surface of the phase shift film with an atomic force microscope, is not more than 0.50 nm, and power spectrum density at a spatial frequency of 10 to 100 m.sup.1 is not more than 17 nm.sup.4.