Abstract: An abrasion wear resistant coated substrate product is described comprising a substrate and an abrasion wear resistant coating material comprising carbon, hydrogen, silicon, and oxygen. The abrasion wear resistant coating material has the properties of Nanoindentation hardness in the range of about 2 to about 5 GPa and a strain to microcracking greater than about 1% and a transparency greater than 85% in the visible spectrum. The coated products of the present invention are suitable for use in optical applications such as ophthalmic lenses or laser bar code scanner windows. In the method for making the products, the substrate is first chemically cleaned to remove contaminants. In the second step, the substrate is inserted into a vacuum chamber, and the air in said chamber is evacuated. In the third step, the substrate surface is bombarded with energetic ions and/or reactive species to assist in the removal of residual hydrocarbons and surface oxides, and to activate the surface.

Abstract: The coated substrate product finds particular application in eyeglass and sunglass lenses, architectural glass, analytical instrument windows, automotive windshields and laser bar code scanners for use in retail stores and supermarkets. The product has greatly improved wear resistance for severe abrasive environments and comprises a substantially optically transparent substrate, one or more chemically vapor deposited interlayers bonded to the substrate and a chemically vapor deposited outer layer of optically transparent or substantially optically transparent hard and low friction material bonded to the interlayer and away from the substrate.

Abstract: The coated substrate product finds particular application in eyeglass and sunglass lenses, architectural glass, analytical instrument windows, automotive windshields and laser bar code scanners for use in retail stores and supermarkets. The product has greatly improved wear resistance for severe abrasive environments and comprises a substantially optically transparent substrate, one or more chemically vapor deposited interlayers bond to the substrate and a chemically vapor deposited outer layer of optically transparent or substantially optically transparent hard and low friction material bonded to the interlayer and away from the substrate.

Abstract: An ion beam deposition method is provided for manufacturing a coated substrate with improved abrasion resistance, and improved lifetime. According to the method, the substrate is first chemically cleaned to remove contaminants. In the second step, the substrate is inserted into a vacuum chamber, and the air in said chamber is evacuated. In the third step, the substrate surface is bombarded with energetic ions to assist in the removal of residual hydrocarbons and surface oxides, and to activate the surface. Alter the substrate surface has been sputter-etched, a protective, abrasion-resistant coating is deposited by ion beam deposition. The ion beam-deposited coating may contain one or more layers. Once the chosen thickness of the coating has been achieved, the deposition process on the substrates is terminated, the vacuum chamber pressure is increased to atmospheric pressure, and the coated substrate products having improved abrasion-resistance are removed from the vacuum chamber.

Abstract: The coated substrate product finds particular application in eyeglass and sunglass lenses, architectural glass, analytical instrument windows, automotive windshields and laser bar code scanners for use in retail stores and supermarkets. The product has greatly improved wear resistance for severe abrasive environments and comprises a substantially optically transparent substrate, a chemicaly vapor deposited first interlayer bonded to the substrate and a chemically vapor deposited outer layer of substantially optically transparent diamond-like carbon bonded to the interlayer and away from the substrate.

Abstract: The coated substrate product finds particular application in eyeglass and sunglass lenses, architectural glass, analytical instrument windows, automotive windshields and laser bar code scanners for use in retail stores and supermarkets. The product has greatly improved wear resistance for severe abrasive environments and comprises a substantially optically transparent substrate, a chemicaly vapor deposited first interlayer bonded to the substrate and a chemically vapor deposited outer layer of substantially optically transparent diamond-like carbon bonded to the interlayer and away from the substrate.

Abstract: A substantially optically transparent coated substrate product with a highly adherent, abrasion-resistant diamond-like hard carbon coating is disclosed. The substrate product is comprised of a polymeric substrate, an adhesion-mediating polysiloxane polymer layer, one or more intermediate layers and an outer layer of diamond-like hard carbon. In another embodiment of the invention a thin metallic interlayer is disposed between a first interlayer layer and subsequent interlayers and/or diamond-like hard carbon. The invention also allows for the production of adherent thin film interference layer coatings (i.e. quarter wavelength stacks and anti-reflection coatings) using diamond-like hard carbon as the high refractive index layer and the interlayer(s) as the low refractive index layer or, alternatively, using diamond-like hard carbon as the low refractive index layer and the interlayer(s) as the high refractive index layer. The invention further discloses a method for fabricating the coated substrate product.

Abstract: A method for depositing a thick, adherent and coherent polycrystalline diamond (PCD) film onto a metallic substrate using a deposition rate of no greater than 0.4 .mu.m per hour. The resulting PCD Film has a smooth surface finish, enhanced crystal orientation in comparision to industrial grade diamond powder particularly in the (220) and (400) directions, and excellent electrical and thermal properties. The method enables one to deposit PCD films having a thickness of at least 12 microns for applications on flat as well as curved substrates having wide use in the electronics industry. Thick PCD films of this invention have been found to be ideal for dissipating heat from radio frequency (RF) and microwave (MW) devices.

Abstract: An improved hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) reactor is disclosed comprising a gas dispersion system, a filament network and an apertured support plate for the substrate. The apertures in the support plate provide for counteracting the natural pressure and temperature gradients which arise within the reactor so that a uniform deposit or material can be coated over the entire surface of multiple small pieces simultaneously. Specifically, the apertured support plate substantially reduces the extent of radial (stagnation point) gas flow adjacent to the substrate which significantly improves coating uniformity.

Abstract: The coated substrate product finds particular application in eyeglass and sunglass lenses, architectural glass, analytical instrument windows, automotive windshields and laser bar code scanners for use in retail stores and supermarkets. The product comprises a substantially optically transparent substrate, a chemically vapor deposited first interlayer bonded to the substrate and a chemically vapor deposited outer layer of substantially optically transparent diamond-like carbon bonded to the interlayer and away from the substrate.

Abstract: A coated substrate product is disclosed which comprises a substrate and a polycrystalline diamond layer having a smooth surface finish, enhanced crystal orientation in comparison to industrial grade diamond powder particularly in the (220) and (400) directions, and excellent electrical and thermal properties. Also disclosed is a method for fabricating such a coated substrate in which the polycrystalline diamond layer is chemically vapor deposited onto the substrate at substrate temperatures in the range of 650.degree. to 825.degree. C.

Abstract: A method for profiling the chemical structure and elemental composition as a function of distance below the exterior surface of a thermoplastic article, and more particularly, to a method for determining the depth of permeation of a modifier into the interior of a thermoplastic article which has been treated with the modifier. The method utilizes a pulsed ultraviolet energy source having a fluence level and pulse duration sufficient to ablate material from the article's exterior surface to a series of successive predetermined distances below the exterior surface to expose successive interior surfaces while causing essentially no physical or chemical damage to each respecting interior surface exposed by ablation. The elemental and chemical compositions of each successive interior surface are analyzed by a surface sensitive spectrographic technique and the spectrographic results are compared to determine the depth of modifier permeation within the thermoplastic article.

Abstract: A system and method for detecting trace levels of a sample gas in a mass spectrometer having a vacuum chamber with a vacuum pump, an ionizer, extracting and imaging lens and a detector. A high pressure sample gas pulse is introduced into the vacuum chamber through a small orifice to produce a high density of sample gas in a region near the orifice. The density of the sample gas pulse is sufficient to substantially sweep residual background gas from the path of the pulse. A portion of the sample gas pulse is ionized and ions are extracted and imaged.