Abstract: A method for coating a moving substrate provides a coating having a chemical composition which varies continuously from the interface with the substrate to the opposite surface of the coating. The method involves directing a vapor coating composition toward a substrate surface and moving portions of the vapor in opposite directions. A vapor coating mixture may include a tin-containing precursor and a silicon-containing precursor. An accelerant, e.g. a phosphorus-containing precursor, may be used with the metal-containing precursors to increase the deposition rate of the coating. The coating deposited on the substrate has regions of continuously varying weight percent of silicon oxide and tin oxide as the distance from the substrate-coating interface increases, with the surface of the coating farthest from the substrate-coating interface being predominantly tin oxide.

Abstract: An apparatus for coating a glass ribbon has an exhaust on each side of a coating unit at different distances therefrom. With this arrangement, portions of the ribbon upstream and downstream of the coating unit are exposed to coating vapors from the coating unit for different periods of time. A coating mixture includes tin containing precursors and a silicon containing precursor. The silicon containing precursor has the structural formula ##STR1## where R.sub.1 is a group which does not have an oxygen available to form a peroxide, R.sub.2 is a functional group giving the silicon containing precursor the ability to be easily converted to silicon oxide coating, R.sub.3 is a bridging group to provide for multiple silicon atoms and R.sub.4 completes the bonding on the foundation silicon atom. An accelerant e.g. a phosphorus containing precursor may be used with the metal containing precursors to increase the deposition rate of the coating.