Large area glass coating

Since the end of the seventies vacuum coating technology for the deposition of optical thin films on large area glass substrates has enjoyed a steady growth. Nowadays, the main applications are low emissivity and solar contro l thin film systems on architectural glass as well as transparent electrode s for flat panel displays. Future markets like electrochromic or anti-refle ctive coatings appear on the horizon; the latter covering a wide range of p roducts like picture frames, show-cases, shop windows, and all kinds of dat a and TV screens. The paper gives an introduction into the above-mentioned applications and o utlines the present state of sputtering technology for large area glass coa ting. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.