High throughput surface treatment on coiled flexible substrates
One or more substrates may be coiled into one or more coils in such a way that adjacent turns of the coils do not touch one another. The one or more coiled substrates are placed in a treatment chamber where substantially an entire surface of the one or more coiled substrates may be treated with a surface treatment process. One or more spacers may be placed between adjacent layers of the coiled substrate before a full turn of the substrate has been coiled around a carousel.
1 . A method for treating a substrate surface, comprising the steps of:
coiling one or more substrates into one or more coils in such a way that adjacent turns of the coils do not touch one another;
placing the one or more coiled substrates in a treatment chamber; and
in the treatment chamber, treating substantially an entire surface of the one or more coiled substrates with a surface treatment process.
2 - 5 . (canceled)
6 . The method of claim 1 wherein the surface treatment process includes anodization.
7 . The method of claim 1 wherein the surface treatment process includes drying.
8 . The method of claim 1 wherein the surface treatment process includes annealing.
9 . The method of claim 1 wherein the surface treatment process includes exposure to reactive gas or vapor.
10 . The method of claim 9 wherein the exposure to reactive gas or vapor includes selenization.
11 . The method of claim 1 where the surface treatment includes anodization.
12 . The method of claim 1 where the surface treatment includes electrodeposition.
13 . The method of claim 1 where the surface treatment includes electropolishing.
14 - 23 . (canceled)
24 . A substrate surface treatment system, comprising:
a surface treatment chamber;
a carousel adapted to receive a flexible substrate material as a coil, the carousel being sized to be received within the chamber with the substrate material coiled around the carousel in one or more turns;
a winding mechanism configured to coil the substrate material about the carousel to form a coiled substrate; and
one or more spacers, the spacers being configured to space apart adjacent turns of the coiled substrate in such a way that the adjacent turns of the coiled substrate do not touch one another; and
a mechanism adapted to place one or more of the spacers between adjacent layers of the coiled substrate before the winding mechanism winds a full turn of the substrate material about the carousel.
25 . The system of claim 22 , further comprising one or more sources of reactant gas coupled to the chamber, the reactant gas being of a type suitable for performing atomic layer deposition.
26 . The system of claim 22 , wherein the chamber is an anodization chamber.
27 . The system of claim 22 , wherein the carousel is in the shape of a polygonal cylinder.
28 . The system of claim 25 wherein the carousel is in the shape of a hexagonal cylinder.
29 . The system of claim 22 wherein the spacers can be secured in place with respect to the carousel.
30 . The system of claim 22 wherein the spacers can stack on top of one another.
31 . The system of claim 22 , wherein the spacers include one or more spacer tapes.
32 . The system of claim 29 wherein the spacer tapes run substantially parallel to a length of the substrate.
33 . The system of claim 29 wherein at least one spacer tapes is located proximate a side of the substrate.
34 . An apparatus for treating a substrate surface, comprising:
means for coiling one or more substrates into one or more coils in such a way that adjacent turns of the coils do not touch one another;
treatment chamber means; and
means for treating in the treatment chamber substantially an entire surface of the one or more coiled substrates with a surface treatment process,
wherein the surface treatment process includes one or more atomic layer deposition (ALD) reactions.