Process for obtaining a substrate provided with a coating

Abstract

A process for obtaining a substrate provided with a coating, in which the coating includes a pattern with spatial modulation of at least one property of the coating, includes performing a heat treatment, using a laser radiation, of a continuous coating deposited on the substrate. The heat treatment is such that the substrate is irradiated with the laser radiation focused on the coating in the form of at least one laser line, keeping the coating continuous and without melting of the coating, and a relative displacement of the substrate and of the laser line focused on the coating is imposed in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the laser line, while temporally modulating during this relative displacement the power of the laser line as a function of the speed of relative displacement and of the dimensions of the pattern in the direction of relative displacement.

1 . A process for obtaining a substrate provided, on at least part of at least one of its faces, with a coating comprising a pattern with spatial modulation of at least one property of the coating, the process comprising performing a heat treatment, using a laser radiation, of a continuous coating deposited on the substrate, in which the coating before heat treatment at least partially absorbs the laser radiation, the heat treatment being such that the substrate is irradiated with the laser radiation focused on the coating in the form of at least one laser line, keeping the coating continuous and without melting the coating, and during said heat treatment a relative displacement of the substrate and of the laser line focused on the coating in a direction transverse to a longitudinal direction of the laser line is performed while temporally modulating during the relative displacement a power of the laser line as a function of a speed of the relative displacement and of dimensions of the pattern in the relative displacement direction,
 wherein the laser line has a mean width of between 10 μm and 1000 μm.   
     
     
         2 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the coating before heat treatment is monolayer. 
     
     
         3 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the coating before heat treatment is a stack of layers, of which at least one layer at least partially absorbs the laser radiation. 
     
     
         4 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the coating before heat treatment comprises at least one layer based on at least one metal, metalloid, oxide, nitride, carbide, sulfide, or any mixture thereof. 
     
     
         5 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the longitudinal direction of the laser line is substantially perpendicular to the direction of relative displacement. 
     
     
         6 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the laser line is fixed and the substrate is moved in translation in a transverse direction relative to the longitudinal direction of the laser line. 
     
     
         7 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the power of the laser line is temporally modulated by temporally modulating an input electrical signal of the or each laser source forming the laser line. 
     
     
         8 . The process according to  claim 7 , wherein the pattern has a spatial periodicity and the frequency of temporal modulation of the input electrical signal of the laser source is equal to a ratio of the speed of relative displacement between the substrate and the laser line to the period of the pattern. 
     
     
         9 . The process according to  claim 7 , wherein the temporal modulation of the input electrical signal of the laser source varies during the relative displacement of the substrate and of the laser line. 
     
     
         10 . The process according to  claim 7 , wherein the laser line is formed using several independent laser sources, the temporal modulation of the input electrical signal being different from one laser source to another forming the laser line. 
     
     
         11 . (canceled) 
     
     
         12 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the mean power per unit area of the laser line in a focal plane is greater than or equal to 10 3  W/cm 2 . 
     
     
         13 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the or each laser source forming the laser line is a continuous or quasi-continuous source. 
     
     
         14 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the or each laser source forming the laser line is a pulsed source and the power of the emitted pulses is temporally modulated. 
     
     
         15 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the laser line is fixed and the substrate has at least one first dimension and one second dimension which are mutually transverse, the process comprising at least one first step and one second step such that:
 in the first step, the substrate is moved in translation parallel to the first dimension and transversely to the longitudinal direction of the laser line, and the power of the laser line is temporally modulated;   in the second step, the substrate is moved in translation parallel to the second dimension and transversely to the longitudinal direction of the laser line, and the power of the laser line is temporally modulated.   
     
     
         16 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the speed of relative displacement is at least 3 metres per minute. 
     
     
         17 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein, during the heat treatment, the temperature of the face of the substrate that is opposite from the treated coating is less than or equal to 100° C. 
     
     
         18 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the coating, once treated, comprises a pattern with spatial modulation of at least one property from among electrical conductivity, emissivity, radiation transmission, radiation reflection, radiation absorption, haze, colorimetric coordinates, hydrophilicity, photocatalytic activity of the coating. 
     
     
         19 . The process according to  claim 1 , comprising, prior to performing the heat treatment, a depositing the or each layer of the coating onto the substrate. 
     
     
         20 . An apparatus for treating a substrate provided with at least one coating, in order to create in the coating a pattern with spatial modulation of at least one property of the coating, the apparatus comprising:
 one or more laser sources and shaping and redirecting optics that are capable of generating at least one laser line,   displacement elements that are capable of imposing, during functioning, a relative displacement of the substrate and of the laser line in a direction transverse to a longitudinal direction of the laser line, while the laser line is focused on the coating,   a unit for temporal modulation of a power of the laser line as a function of a speed of relative displacement and of dimensions of the pattern in the direction of relative displacement.   
     
     
         21 . A substrate which is obtained via the process according to  claim 1 , the substrate being provided, on at least part of at least one of its faces, with a continuous coating comprising a pattern with spatial modulation of at least one property of the coating. 
     
     
         22 . The substrate according to  claim 21 , wherein a surface area of the continuous coating comprising the pattern with spatial modulation of at least one property of the coating is greater than or equal to 1 m 2 . 
     
     
         23 . The substrate according to  claim 21 , wherein the pattern of the coating is made up of a series of juxtaposed lines or portions of lines, where a value of the property of the coating changes from one line to another and a characteristic dimension for a change in value of the property of the coating, taken transversely to the longitudinal direction of the lines, is a multiple of a nominal dimension of between 10 μm and 1000 μm 
     
     
         24 . The substrate according to  claim 21 , wherein the pattern of the coating is a pattern with a continuous variation of the property of the coating. 
     
     
         25 . The substrate according to  claim 21 , provided with at least one continuous thin layer comprising juxtaposed linear zones having different square resistance values. 
     
     
         26 . The substrate according to  claim 21 , provided with at least one continuous thin layer comprising juxtaposed linear zones having different values of their optical or energetic properties. 
     
     
         27 . A method comprising utilizing a substrate according to  claim 21  in single, multiple or laminated glazings, mirrors, elements of interior furnishing, wall coverings, electronic layered devices. 
     
     
         28 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the mean width is between 30 μm and 200 μm. 
     
     
         29 . The process according to  claim 17 , wherein, during the heat treatment, the temperature of the face of the substrate that is opposite from the treated coating is less than or equal to 50° C. 
     
     
         30 . The process according to  claim 29 , wherein, during the heat treatment, the temperature of the face of the substrate that is opposite from the treated coating is less than or equal to 30° C. 
     
     
         31 . The substrate according to  claim 22 , wherein the surface area is greater than or equal to 1.4 m 2 . 
     
     
         32 . The substrate according to  claim 23 , wherein the characteristic dimension for the change in value of the property of the coating, taken transversely to the longitudinal direction of the lines, is a multiple of a nominal dimension of between 10 μm and 200 μm. 
     
     
         33 . The substrate according to  claim 21 , wherein the substrate is made of non-toughened glass or of polymeric organic material. 
     
     
         34 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one laser line includes a first laser line and a second laser line that is parallel to the first laser line.