Scaleup of a nitrogen glow-discharge process for silver-poly(ethylene terephthalate) adhesion

In sis studies of plasma-treated poly(ethylene terephthalate) [PET] followed by metallization suggested a viable process for treating and silver coating PET support to manufacture suitable silver-coated base material. Following this work and some proof-of-principle demonstrations on a pilot scale, a successful process was delivered at the manufacturing scale. The scaleup process consisted of running a multifactor experiment on a pilot machine, installing the necessary production equipment on a production coater, and carrying out a smaller multifactor experiment on the production machine to aid in selection of manufacturing conditions. Key to the success of this scaleup process was the ability to measure silver-PET adhesion in a sufficiently quantitative and practical manner. For this purpose a salt bath adhesion test was developed. By using this test as an experimental response, robust operating conditions were found. Furthermore, the test provided a means to troubleshoot, track the process, and establish performance/cost trade-offs. The adhesion test and the pilot and production experiments are discussed. (C) 1996 American Vacuum Society.