CH715599A2 - Multilayer deposition reactor. - Google Patents

Abstract

In the present invention, a reactor (1) is provided for simultaneously coating a plurality of individual substrates (3) with a multilayer coating comprising at least one organic layer and at least one inorganic layer. The reactor (1) comprises a single deposition chamber in which first deposition means and second deposition means are arranged to deposit, during operation of the reactor (1), said at least one organic layer and said at least one layer inorganic respectively. The reactor (1) further comprises support means (2) for the individual substrates (3), said support means (2) being configured to invert each individual substrate (3) during the deposition of said organic layers and said inorganic layers .

Description

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to the field of simultaneous deposition of multilayer coatings on a plurality of three-dimensional objects. More specifically, the invention relates to a reactor configured to deposit multilayer coatings comprising organic and inorganic layers. The reactor includes rotation / mixing / turning means which facilitate uniform deposition of the multilayer coating on the plurality of three-dimensional objects.

Context of the invention

The deposition of organic and inorganic layers is widely used as a protective coating for various micromechanical and electronic components.

A particularly interesting organic layer consists of para-xylylene polymers, also called parylene. Parylene is used as a thin layer coating due to its ability to exhibit highly desirable physical and electrical properties. As the parylene coatings are applied in thin layers by chemical vapor deposition, they allow a very high capacity of covering the steps. In addition, the parylene deposition process is more efficient when a relatively large number of substrates are simultaneously coated.

However, conventional parylene deposition chambers are generally deficient in that a large number of particularly small substrates are placed in the chambers so that they can touch and / or touch parts of mechanical parts of the reactor, resulting in missing layers on these areas. The problem is even more pronounced in the case of other deposits such as oxide layers on objects. In this case, at least one surface is, in most cases, not coated at all and some surfaces may be only partially coated. Uniform coating of all surfaces of three-dimensional objects is a challenge for both oxide and parylene coatings. This is why solutions have been proposed for inverting the substrates by means of a vibrating drum or bowl, so as to obtain uniform coatings on all three-dimensional objects in a single pass through this type of deposit. Finally, the inversion concept avoids turning the substrates and performing an additional deposition step to coat all the surfaces of three-dimensional objects in their entirety.

A parylene reactor configured to deposit parylene and comprising a drum is described in document PCT / US97 / 23911. Although the system described in document PCT / US97 / 23911 makes it possible to deposit uniform layers of parylene on a large number of substrates, it is limited by the fact that the inversion process can damage the deposited coatings.

The application of a protective coating such as parylene alone on substrates does not guarantee that the barrier performance of the coating is effective. This is why additional coatings, such as inorganic coatings, must be inserted.

The application of inorganic coatings, also called passivation layers, such as silicon oxides (SiOx) on organic coatings such as parylene coatings, so as to obtain a multilayer coating, would considerably improve the properties of the coating. Document WO2013 / 071138 describes a method for depositing a passivation layer of SiOx on medical components. However, the application of such an inorganic coating on an organic coating requires a separate second reactor to deposit this passivation layer, which makes the process costly and time-consuming since substrates coated with an organic coating such as parylene must be handled and transferred to a second reactor; achieving multiple layers means applying a multi-chamber approach involving at least two reactors. During sample transfer, the surface can also be polluted and, therefore, the adhesion and properties of the interface and, ultimately, the quality between the two coatings can be reduced. In addition, there is a risk that the coated components will be damaged during transfer between the different reactors.

The same reasoning can be done in the case where the first protective layer of a component is an inorganic layer on which an organic layer must be produced.

In addition, it would become very complicated, time consuming and costly to produce multilayers comprising more than one of said organic and inorganic layers, for example a multilayer comprising 3 different layers such as a first organic layer, a second inorganic layer deposited thereon, and a third organic layer formed on said second inorganic layer. For some applications, several stacks of organic / inorganic layers are necessary to fully protect a component in an integral and hermetic manner.

In the case of a large number of small components, as is the case in watchmaking or in medical devices, the process and the handling, which includes the compulsory turning of the samples after the deposition of the first layer, become even more complex and the probability of damage produced by handling the substrates is increased.

None of the reactors or methods available makes it possible to produce profitably multilayer coatings comprising an organic and inorganic undercoat on the surfaces of a large number of small components.

It is therefore necessary to have an improved deposition reactor which solves this problem.

Summary of the invention

The object of the invention is to provide an improved reactor which overcomes the disadvantages of reactors and methods of the prior art.

Consequently, the present invention relates to a reactor making it possible to simultaneously coat a plurality of individual substrates with a multilayer coating comprising at least one organic layer and at least one inorganic layer.

More specifically, a reactor is provided for simultaneously coating a plurality of individual substrates with a multilayer coating comprising at least one organic layer and at least one inorganic layer.

The reactor of the invention comprises a single deposition chamber in which first deposition means and second deposition means are arranged for depositing, during operation of the reactor, said at least one organic layer and said at least one inorganic layer respectively.

Said reactor further comprising support means for the individual substrates, said support means being configured to return each individual substrate during the deposition of said organic layers and said inorganic layers.

In one embodiment, said support means comprise a vibrating support, a vibrating feed bowl, a mixing means or a turning means or a combination thereof.

In one embodiment, said first deposition means are configured to perform, during operation of the reactor, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and / or chemical vapor deposition process assisted by plasma (PECVD) process.

In one embodiment, said second deposition means are configured to perform, during the operation of the reactor, any of the atomic layer deposition (ALD) methods, by evaporation or sputtering.

In one embodiment, said at least one organic coating is a layer of parylene.

In one embodiment, said at least one inorganic coating is a layer chosen from the group consisting of metals, metal oxides, metal nitrides, metal carbides, metal oxynitrides, metal oxyborides, semiconductors, semiconductor oxides, semiconductor nitrides, semiconductor carbides, semiconductor oxynitrides and combinations thereof.

In one embodiment, the second deposition means are configured to carry out a PECVD process and comprise at least one electrode disposed at a distance between approximately 0 mm, defined as direct contact, direct contact) and approximately 40 cm from the means of support.

In one embodiment, said support means comprise a turning cylinder inside which said plurality of substrates can be contained.

In one embodiment, said cylinder comprises at least a part made of an electrically non-conductive dielectric material.

In one embodiment, the plasmas for the PECVD process are generated by a coil supplied with RF which leads to an inductive type plasma.

In one embodiment, an electric ground electrode is arranged inside said cylinder, said cylinder being made at least partially of an electrically conductive material which is said electrode.

In one embodiment, an electrically conductive electrode is arranged inside said cylinder, said cylinder being made at least partially of an electrically conductive material which is said electric ground electrode.

In one embodiment, said support means are arranged in a chamber comprising a first network of grounded electrodes and a second network of electrodes supplied electrically, each electrode of said first network being substantially parallel and facing the one of the electrodes of said second network, said first and second networks of electrodes being arranged on at least one virtual cylindrical surface.

In one embodiment, said first and second electrode networks are arranged on at least one virtual cylindrical surface having an inner tube made of a non-conductive dielectric material, preferably quartz, or glass.

In one embodiment, said support means comprise a star-shaped electrode inside the turning device.

In one embodiment, said support means comprise an upturned arrangement in the form of steps comprising at least one set of steps.

In one embodiment, at least one electric coil arranged inside and / or outside of said support means.

In one embodiment, said support means comprise at least one vibrating feed bowl.

Brief description of the drawings

Additional details on the invention will appear more clearly on reading the following description with reference to the appended figures: Figure 1 illustrates a cross section of a reactor of the invention; Figure 2 shows a cross section of a cylindrical drum; Figure 3 shows a lateral cross section of a cylindrical drum comprising a central electrical mass; Figure 4 shows a lateral cross section of a cylindrical drum whose surface is connected to an electrical ground; Figure 5 shows a lateral cross section of a cylindrical drum arranged near an external electrode and comprising an internal electrical mass; Figure 6 shows a lateral cross section of a cylindrical drum arranged near an external electrode connected to an electrical ground and comprising an internal electrical conductor; Figure 7 shows a lateral cross section of a drum comprising an arrangement of stepped drums; Figure 8 shows a side view of part of a chamber comprising first and second arrays of electrodes which are arranged in a substantially cylindrical configuration and in which the different electrodes are arranged substantially in parallel; Figure 9 shows a view in the direction of the axis of rotation of a part of a chamber comprising first and second arrays of electrodes which are arranged substantially parallel; Figure 10 shows a side view of a support arrangement comprising oscillation means and an arrangement of RF electrodes; Figure 11 shows a side view of a support arrangement comprising vibration means; Figure 12 shows a top view of a star-shaped support arrangement; Figure 13 shows a top view of a support arrangement comprising a plurality of recessed cylindrical structures which are configured to effect, during the same deposition process, the deposition of different types of samples; Figures 14 a-c illustrate stacks of exemplary coatings as produced with the reactor of the invention.

Description of the invention

The present invention will be described in relation to particular embodiments and with reference to certain drawings, but the invention is not limited thereto. The drawings described are only schematic and not limiting. In the drawings, the size of some items may be exaggerated and may not be drawn to scale for illustration purposes. The dimensions and the relative dimensions do not correspond to actual reductions in the practice of the invention.

It should be noted that the term "comprising" in the description and the claims should not be interpreted as being limited to the means listed below, that is to say that it does not exclude other elements.

The reference to "an embodiment" throughout the specification means that a particular characteristic, structure or character described in relation to the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. Thus, the expressions "in one embodiment" or "in one variant", which appear in various places in the description, do not necessarily refer all to the same embodiment, but to several. In addition, the features, structures or features can be combined in any suitable manner, as would be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure, in one or more embodiments. Likewise, various characteristics of the invention are sometimes grouped into a single embodiment, figure or description, in order to make the disclosure more readable and to improve the understanding of one or more of the various inventive aspects. Furthermore, if certain embodiments described below include certain characteristics included in other embodiments, but not others, combinations of characteristics of different embodiments are supposed to come within the scope of the invention, and of different embodiments. For example, all of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination. It is also understood that the invention can be put into practice without some of the many specific details stated. In other cases, all the structures are not presented in detail so as not to obscure the understanding of the description and / or of the figures. The term "overturning" is also defined here broadly as a repositioning of an object in space in relation to the wall of a reactor or in relation to the direction of gravity and includes any movement of an object which gives a new position in space and also includes the rotational movements, the lateral displacement of the position, the vibrations, the oscillations by "vibrating bowl" or the movements up or down or lateral or a combination of those -this. In some cases, the inversion movement can produce a temporal deformation of the returned object, as can happen in the case of thin membranes. In this document, the terms "up" and "down" refer to the direction of gravitation. For example, an object that turns downward is defined broadly as an object on which is subjected at least one component of movement in the direction of local gravitation. The expression "lateral direction" is defined as a direction perpendicular to the direction of gravity. In the figures, the reversal is carried out by a movement which is illustrated by an arrow and a rotation symbol Θ, which is only illustrative because the reversal can be carried out by a different movement such as a linear or vibratory movement or any combination of movements.

It is understood that in all the embodiments of the invention, the reversal system or any component of the reactor can have any orientation relative to the direction of gravity.

The present invention further comprises the following embodiments.

[0041] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of the reactor 1 of the invention. The reactor 1 is configured to simultaneously coat a plurality of individual substrates 3 with a multilayer coating 30 comprising at least one organic layer 32 and at least one inorganic layer 34.

The reactor 1 of the invention comprises a single deposition chamber in which first deposition means and second deposition means are arranged to deposit, during the operation of the reactor 1, said at least one organic layer 32 and said at least one inorganic layer 34. As explained in more detail, at least one organic layer 32 and at least one inorganic layer 34 can be deposited in any order. In addition, as explained below, each of these organic layers 32 and / or inorganic layers 34 can be a stack of different layers.

The reactor 1 further comprises support means 2 for the individual substrates 3, said support means 2 are configured to ensure that, during the operation of the reactor, each individual substrate 3 turns over during the deposition of said layers organic 32 and said inorganic layers 34.

In a preferred arrangement illustrated in Fig.1, means for injecting feed gas are provided on one side of the reactor. The feed gas injection means include the feed gases for CVD deposition and the feed gases for PECVD deposition. Variants of the reactor on one side include means for connecting to the vacuum so that the reactor chamber can be connected to a vacuum pump. These vacuum connection means may include at least one opening connected to suitable vacuum pipes. The connection of a reactor to a chamber with a vacuum pump is well known to the skilled person and is not described in more detail here.

In all embodiments, the supply gases can be supplied to the plasma chamber in different ways and according to the process, by different systems, preferably by means of these support means.

In one embodiment, said first deposition means are configured to perform, during the operation of the reactor 1, a CVD deposition process.

In another embodiment, said second deposition means 2 are configured to perform, during the operation of the reactor 1, any of the following methods: PECVD, ALD, sputtering deposition, evaporation or CVD.

In some embodiments, at least one inorganic coating 34 is a layer chosen from, but not limited to, the group consisting of metals, metal oxides, metal nitrides, metal carbides, metal oyxnitrides, metallic oxyborides, semi-metals (i.e. semiconductors), semi-metallic oxides, semi-metallic nitrides, semi-metallic carbides, semi-metallic oxynitrides and combinations thereof this.

The reactor can also be configured to produce several and / or different sequences of PECVD and CVD deposits. For example, the reactor 1 can be used to produce a number N of PECVD layers and a number M of CVD layers, the numbers N and M preferably being between 3 and 10. The deposited layers can be alternating layers of PECVD layers and CVD, as illustrated in Figs 14a-c.

An exemplary stack comprising 3 alternating layers comprises: a first CVD layer made of parylene; a second PECVD layer consisting of SiOx; a third CVD layer consisting of another layer of parylene or any other type of organic layer.

In a preferred embodiment, said at least one organic coating 32 is a layer of parylene.

In embodiments, said at least one inorganic coating 34 is a layer chosen from the group consisting of metals, metal oxides, metal nitrides, metal carbides, metal oyxnitrides, metal oxyborides, semi-metals defined as semiconductors, semi-metallic oxides, semi-metallic nitrides, metallic semi-carbides, semi-metallic oxynitrides, and combinations thereof.

In embodiments, the second deposition means are configured to perform a PECVD process which requires, as illustrated for example in FIG. 2, at least one electrode 4 arranged at a distance d, preferably between approximately 0 mm and about 40 cm, more preferably between 0 mm and 30 mm of the support means 2. Preferably, a turning device as illustrated in FIG. 2 comprises means, not illustrated in the figure, so that the samples are transferred from one side of the structure to the other, like the two sides of a cylindrical surface. This can be achieved for example by involving an Archimedes screw or the like.

In certain variants, the electrode 4 is arranged at a distance d of between approximately 0.3 cm and approximately 10 cm from the support means 2.

This electrode is preferably an electrode 4 configured to receive an RF signal. In a variant, the electrode 4 can be replaced or combined by a coil which is supplied by an RF signal leading to an inductive coupling for the generation of the plasma.

It should be noted that, in order to obtain tight layers of SiOx, the substrates to be coated must be placed near an RF electrode 4 having a self-polarization of at least 50 volts, preferably at least 100 V. The inventors have identified that this polarization generates and provides the necessary ion bombardment of the growth layers on the substrates. In some variants, as we will see in more detail, the electrically conductive substrates can be in direct contact with an RF electrode. In these variants, the substrates act like an electrode and can be negatively polarized, which ensures the necessary bombardment of the ions.

The applied radio frequency (RF) has a preferred frequency of 13.56 MHz. The frequency of the RF signal is preferably greater than 1 MHz. The peak-to-peak voltage Vpp applied is preferably between 350 and 450 V, more preferably substantially 400 V, which leads to a bias voltage generally greater than 150-200 V.

In some embodiments, said support means 2 comprise at least one turning device such as a cylinder 22, inside which said plurality of substrates 3 can be contained.

For example, Fig.1 illustrates an embodiment in which said electrode 4 is an elongated electrode which is arranged substantially parallel to the wall of a cylindrical support defining a virtual axis of rotation 22a. The rotation of the cylinder ensures, during the deposition process, that the substrates 3 are turned over so as to obtain a coating on all the faces of the substrates. The cylinder 22 may contain a mechanical structure such as an Archimedes screw for mixing the samples. In a preferred variant, when a first coating has been applied to all the faces of the substrates, the steps of the second coating deposition process are carried out while the substrates 3 are turned over again. In some variants, a turning cylinder 22 can be turned in an opposite direction for the second coating deposition process. In certain variants, the cylinder 22 can undergo different frequencies of rotation during the deposition processes and the cylinder can also be vibrated in any direction. In some variants, said electrode 4 can have the shape of a flat blade or can be a curved blade whose curvature, defined in a plane perpendicular to said axis of rotation 22a, is the same as the curvature of said cylindrical support 22. In certain variants, the curvature of said curved blade 4 can be a fraction of the curvature of said cylindrical support, said fraction being between 0.1 and 1, not counting 1. In certain variants, the curvature of said curved blade 4 is smaller than the curvature of said cylindrical support.

In exemplary embodiments, the cylindrical support of the embodiment of Fig.1 can have the following dimensions: length of cylinder 22: between 10 cm and 200 cm, preferably between 20 cm and 100 cm; diameter D: between 50 mm and 800 mm, preferably between 80 mm and 350 mm.

In one embodiment, said cylinder 22 can be a hexagonal tube or of any other shape and can comprise at least one glass part. In a variant, this cylindrical support consists at least partially of a ceramic material, for example glass, and has a wall whose thickness is between 1 mm and 10 mm, preferably between 2 mm and 4 mm. This thickness does not necessarily have to be homogeneous.

It is understood that in the embodiments, said support means can have any shape, preferably a shape having at least one axis of symmetry. In certain variants, these support means can have more than 2 axes of rotation which can have any orientation relative to the direction of gravity.

In some variants, not illustrated in the figures, the inversion of the samples 3 can be achieved by at least two recessed support means, such as a first cylinder configured inside a second larger cylinder, said first and second cylinders comprising means allowing the samples to pass between said first and second cylinders.

In an advantageous embodiment, at least one electrically conductive coil can be arranged inside or outside of said support means 2. The installation of such an electric coil can be useful in the case where a uniform plasma must be obtained inside the turning chamber. For example, in the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 1, the RF electrode can be replaced by a coil which is wound around the turning cylinder 22. In certain variants, part of said support means can comprise a first coil arranged externally near its outer surface and a second part of said support means may comprise a second coil arranged inside and near the inner surface of said support means.

In an advantageous variant, illustrated in FIG. 3, an electric ground electrode 23 is arranged inside said support means 2 which is preferably a cylinder 24, being at least partially made of an electrically conductive material being said electrode 4. It is understood that what matters is the voltage difference between said central electrode 23 and the outer surface of said cylinder 24, which means that the central electrode 23 can have an electrical potential other than zero. In a variant illustrated in FIG. 4, the central electrode 26 has a higher electrical potential than the electrical potential of the exterior and / or interior surface of the support means 2.

In the advantageous embodiments, illustrated in FIG. 5 and electrically reversed in FIG. 6, an electrode of curved shape is arranged outside a turning device of cylindrical shape 2. In these embodiments, the cylinder 34, 38 is preferably made at least partially of a non-conductive dielectric material. The average distance e of the electrode 4 follows the same rules as those described in the embodiment of FIG. 2.

In an advantageous embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7, said support means 2 comprise a step-shaped turning device 44 comprising at least one set of steps which can be in the form of a staircase.

In one embodiment, the reactor 1 comprises an arrangement of electrodes 44 comprising a first set of steps 40 which is arranged substantially parallel to a second turning arrangement 44 in the form of steps. In some variants, this tiered arrangement can be configured as a helical structure or any other non-linear structure. In some variations, one set of steps would be sufficient and a second set of steps might not be necessary.

It is understood that all the steps of an upturned arrangement in the form of steps 44 need not be identical. At least one of the steps can have a curved surface.

In the embodiment of FIG. 7, the turning arrangement 2 can include internal deflectors 48 which can have any shape and in any number and which serve to improve the efficiency of the turning process. In certain variants, said deflectors and / or steps 40 can be vibrating / oscillating and include actuators which can be micro-actuators and / or electromagnetic actuators or piezoelectric actuators.

In an advantageous embodiment, said support means 2 are arranged in a chamber comprising a first network 50 of electrodes 52 and a second network 60 of electrodes 62, each electrode 52 of said first network 50 being substantially parallel and facing each other to one of the electrodes 62 of said second network 60.

In an embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8, said first network of 50 and said second network of 60 electrodes 52, 62 are arranged on virtual cylindrical surfaces.

Fig.8 illustrates a variant in which a first network 50 of electrodes is at low potential, for example connected to an electrical ground. Alternatively, the second arrangement of the electrodes 60 may be at low electrical potential. In certain variants, other interlaced electrodes can be configured inside a drum 2.

In the variants illustrated in Fig.9, a plurality of electrodes can be configured on the interior surface and / or in the wall of a cylindrical drum.

Fig.10 and Fig.11 illustrate exemplary configurations in which said support means 2 can be rotated, shaken and set in vibration / oscillation. In Fig.10, the container 2b is configured so as to avoid ejecting samples during operation. In certain variants, a vibrating feed bowl, also defined here as a bowl, configured to undergo vertical translations V which may be vibrations and / or shocks, can be arranged on said support means. For example, a vibrating bowl can be placed on the platform 70 in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 11.

In embodiments where the support is or comprises a vibrating feed bowl, the bowl is powered by RF and generates the plasma. The interior of said bowl can be structured by spiral staircases and / or baffles. Baffles can be used to rotate or align samples. The bowl is preferably a vibration / oscillation system which moves the samples up and down the spiral staircase. At the top, the samples fall to the bottom, allowing the samples to rotate. Different spiral staircases can be integrated into the bowl. The dimensions of the bowl and the stairs depend on the size and weight of the samples.

The vibrating bowls are well known to qualified persons and are not described in more detail here. Reference is made here to the following documents and website which are all fully integrated: documents: US4181216A and US 4362455 A website: http://www.vibrationsfoerdertechnik.de/.

In the variants illustrated in Fig.10 and Fig. 11, a scraper and / or a grater 2b or 72 can be placed on top of the support 70 which mixes the substrates. This scraper can be static or rotary.

In certain variants, the drum consists of a support 70 on which a container 72 is arranged. In certain variants, an additional rotation can be added to the support 70. Said support and / or container can have any shape or any dimension. This support may include a mechanical structure which allows a homogeneous distribution and a constant displacement / rotation of the samples.

In an embodiment illustrated in FIG. 12, said support means 2 comprise at least one shaped electrode 49 which comprises a surface 49a which is shaped so as to be able to retain a sample during a predefined time interval. The shaped electrode 49 may have a rough surface or a surface which includes valleys and peaks like the star-shaped surface illustrated in Fig. 12. The shaped electrode can also be shaped so that its surface has a shaped cross section of sinusoidal shape, said cross section being defined perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shaped electrode 49. In a variant, said shaped electrode can be arranged to rotate with a speed of rotation different from, or even opposite, the speed of rotation of the external surface of the turning device, as illustrated by the angles Θ1 and Θ2 in Fig.12.

In another embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 13, a plurality of recessed cylindrical structures (stages) are arranged so as to carry out, during the same deposition process, the deposition of different types of samples. On each floor, samples can be added. These stages can also comprise a mechanical structure which allows a homogeneous distribution and a constant displacement / rotation of the samples and can also allow the displacement of the samples from one stage to another. It is understood that, in the case of built-in turning structures, such as built-in cylinders, different supply gases can be introduced into the different chambers which are defined by the built-in structures.

In another embodiment, the plasma of the cylinder is generated by a coil supplied with RF which surrounds the cylinder. Here, in general, the coil replaces the electrode 4. However, the configuration presented is not limited to a substitution and the coil and the electrode can be applied in parallel. In general, all the electrodes of the other figures can be replaced or combined by a coil.

In another embodiment, the plasma can be generated by a plurality of rotary rods powered by RF. The samples are placed on the rotating rods. This rotation will also require rotation of the samples. The rods may contain grooves which hold the samples in place during rotation. The rods may contain spirals which move the samples. It is understood that a wide variety of configurations using rods or rotary cylinders can be used. For example, at least two rods or rotary cylinders which are not parallel can be arranged (ées).

It is understood that there is no limitation in the possible shapes or configurations of the support means 2 which allow to ensure a (e) turning / mixing / rotation of the samples during the coating process. For the support means, any shape can be considered, as well as any material or any surface finish. For example, the support means 2 can comprise coated surface parts and / or rough surfaces and / or structured parts. It is also understood that the support means may include parts which are made of different materials. For example, a cylindrical support 2 may comprise a plurality of cylindrical parts comprising at least one metallic part and a dielectric part, such as a ceramic part.

In some variants, said support means 2 may include addressable actuators. For example, a cylindrical drum can include a plurality of piezo or mems actuators configured on its internal surface so that the actuating movement can be combined with the external movement which actuates the support or the drum so as to improve the efficiency of flipping / mixing / rotating, for example by reducing the likelihood of small samples sticking to parts of the drum during the coating process.

It is generally understood that the various embodiments of the invention can be combined. For example, in some variants, a star-shaped electrode can be provided in a chamber which also includes a stair-shaped electrode.

Experimental results

Figs 14 a-c illustrate exemplary stacks comprising at least one organic layer 32 and an inorganic layer 34 produced on different types of substrates. Figs 14a-c show only cross sections of coated samples. There is no limit to the number of cells made up of organic and inorganic layers.

Claims (17)

1. Reactor (1) for simultaneously coating a plurality of individual substrates (3) with a multilayer coating (30) comprising at least one organic layer (32) and at least one inorganic layer (34), in which said reactor (1) comprises a single deposition chamber in which first deposition means and second deposition means are arranged for depositing, during operation of the reactor (1), said at least one organic layer (32) and said at minus one inorganic layer (34) respectively, said reactor (1) further comprising support means (2) for the individual substrates (3), said support means (2) being configured to invert each individual substrate (3) during the deposition of said organic layers (32) and inorganic (34). 2. Reactor (1) according to claim 1, wherein said support means (2) comprise any one of the following elements: a vibrating support, a mixing means or a reversal means or a combination thereof. 3. Reactor (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said first deposition means are configured to perform, during operation of the reactor (1), a CVD and / or PECVD deposition process. 4. Reactor (1) according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which said second deposition means are configured to carry out, during the operation of the reactor (1), any of the deposition methods PECVD, ALD, CVD, by evaporation or spraying. 5. Reactor (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said at least one organic coating (32) is a layer of parylene. 6. Reactor (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said at least one inorganic coating (34) is a layer chosen from the group consisting of metals, metal oxides, metal nitrides, carbides metals, metal oxynitrides, metal oxyborides, semiconductors, semiconductor oxides, semiconductor nitrides, semiconductor carbides, semiconductor oxynitrides, and combinations thereof. 7. Reactor (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the second deposition means are configured to carry out a PECVD process and comprise at least one electrode (4) arranged at a distance of between approximately 0 mm and approximately 40 cm of the support means (2). 8. Reactor (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said support means (2) comprises a turning cylinder (22) inside which said plurality of substrates (3) can be contained. 9. Reactor (1) according to claim 8, wherein said cylinder (22) comprises at least a part made of a dielectric material not electrically conductive. 10. Reactor (1) according to claim 8 or 9, in which an electric ground electrode (23) is arranged inside said cylinder (24), said cylinder (24) being made at least partially from an electrically conductive material. which is said electrode (4). 11. Reactor (1) according to claim 8 or 9, in which an electrically conductive electrode (26) is arranged inside a cylinder (28), made at least partially of an electrically conductive material, said cylinder (28 ) being configured as an electrical ground electrode. 12. Reactor (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein said support means (2) are arranged in a chamber comprising a first network (50) of electrodes (52) grounded and a second array (60) of electrically powered electrodes (62), each electrode (52) of said first array (50) being substantially parallel and facing one of the electrodes (62) of said second array (60), said first ( 50) and said second (60) array of electrodes (52, 62) being arranged on at least one virtual cylindrical surface. 13. Reactor (1) according to claim 12, wherein said first (50) and said second (60) array of electrodes (52, 62) are arranged on at least one virtual cylindrical surface having an inner tube made of a non-conductive dielectric material, preferably quartz, or glass. 14. Reactor (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein said support means (2) comprise a star-shaped electrode inside the inversion arrangement (44). 15. Reactor (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein said support means (2) comprise a step-shaped reversal arrangement comprising at least one set of steps (44). 16. Reactor (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein said support means (2) comprise at least one vibrating feed bowl. 17. Reactor (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 16, comprising at least one electric coil arranged inside and / or outside of said support means (2).