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Adhesive and optically transparent layer by vacuum coating for gold to stick on glass.

We would like to know what material/s can be coated by Vacuum Coating process so as to get an Optically transparent and Adhesive layer for depositing Gold on Glass . What is the recommended Film thickness of this material and Coating method.

Samir Kothari

2006

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How can anyone recommend a serviceable thickness of a coating without knowing the intended function of the coating, Samir? If this is to be an exposed decorative gold colored coating on household glassware, please tell us so. Thanks.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2006

I am interested in gold plating glass just enough so that thiolated compounds would stick, but not so much gold that the glass would even become conductive. Can I vapor deposit that little bit of gold (one atom or less thick?) and have it stick to the glass?

Gavin Perry

2006

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2006

Vacuum coating on glass is commonly used for transparent electrically conductive coatings. It is used on aircraft windscreens, space helmets, sunglasses and for electron microscope imaging.
The process is simple using the usual PVD techniques, thermal evaporation, sputtering etc. and thickness is easy to control.
You will need to find someone who has the equipment and he will know how to operate it.
I would be interested to hear how you can have a coated layer of less than an atom thickness - sounds like a potential Nobel prize there!

Geoff Smith
Hampshire, England

It so happens that I had done some work at my school (decades ago) on transparent conductive coatings for CdS photoluminescence on glass. So my suggestion: use about 500 angstroms of vacuum evaporated or sputtered Lead oxide or bismuth oxide or even better, tin oxide coating. Then deposit less that 200 angstroms of gold to keep it nonconductive. It will be in the form of islands of gold to have a very high resistivity. Hoe you have the right apparatus and process control.

Mandar Sunthankar

2006