Architectural and Automotive Glass The design and manufacture of low-emissivity and solar control window coatings that improve both the energy efficiency and design aesthetic of buildings are the roots of our business. The equipment to deposit such coatings on large area glass substrates for the AGC Group is engineered, manufactured, and commercially deployed by the team of AGC Plasma Technology Solutions. The driving experience is changing rapidly in recent years with the development of electrical, autonomous, and connected vehicles. Magnetron sputtering technology underpins many of the new technologies deployed in these vehicles. Sputtering is used to produce solar control and low-emissivity coatings on the sunroof, anti-fog and heating functionality in the windshield, integrated antennas in the backlite, and anti-reflective treatment of curved display screens inside the car to improve readability with strong ambient light. Read more
Astronomical Mirrors Next-generation astronomical telescopes are designed to expand the boundaries of astrophysical science by enabling new insights into exoplanets, supermassive black holes, dark matter, and even the earliest moments of the Universe. While essential observation continues to be performed from outer space, an emerging class of extremely large ground-based telescopes is revolutionizing modern astronomy. Observatories located on the ground allow scientists to more easily maintain and service equipment, which enables the design of increasingly larger telescopes with primary mirror diameters up to 40 meters. Read more
Display & LiDAR Cover Screens LiDAR, or “light detection and ranging“, is an imaging method which focuses a pulsed laser at an object and measures the time it takes for its backscattered light to return to the sensor. LiDAR is indispensable to Advanced Driving Assistance Systems (ADAS) in autonomous vehicles for real-time mapping of traffic and road objects. When backscattered laser light returns to the sensor, some amount will be reflected by the cover glass (also called radome) before it reaches the detector. It is therefore crucial to minimize the amount of reflected light with the use of anti-reflective (AR) coatings to optimize the safety and performance of the vehicle. Read more
Textiles Vacuum coating technology supports the textile industry in its evolution towards increased sustainability. One of the main advantages of vacuum coating is that it can be used to apply functional coatings to textiles without the use of harmful chemicals, which significantly reduces the environmental impact of textile production. By using vacuum coating technology, it is possible to produce textiles with advanced properties like water resistance, stain resistance, heat reflection, and even antimicrobial resistance. Vacuum coating technology can be used to produce coatings that are highly uniform and reproducible, which allows more efficient use of materials and reduced waste. Vacuum coating technology for textile functionalization supports the textile industry to meet the increasing standards for sustainability and to produce textiles that meet both consumer and environmental standards. Read more
Solar Thermal Collectors & Metal Coils Thin layers of specialized coatings are applied to metal coils using techniques like magnetron sputtering to create a wide range of functional and aesthetic variations. Thin-film coatings can be engineered to create highly reflective surfaces like mirrors and reflective coatings for solar, automotive, and architectural applications. Colored and decorative surfaces are designed by controlling the thickness and composition of the coatings. This allows for unique and customizable aesthetic variations. Thin film coatings can be applied to metal coils to impart advanced functionalities, such as catalytic properties, corrosion protection, increased electrical conductivity, hydrophobicity, and oleophobicity. Read more
Polymer Films By applying interference coatings on polymer films, it is possible to tailor optical properties like reflectivity and to make spectrally-selective filters. Thin-film coating technology is used to apply nanoscale layers of metals and metal oxides onto transparent films that can then be applied to rigid and flexible substrates. Read more
Battery Technology Thin-film batteries are moving to new form factors, becoming ultra-thin, extremely light, and flexible. End applications range from wearable electronics to large-sized electric vehicles and residential applications. Battery technology is a fast-growing industry with many companies now gearing up to upscale their technologies into mass production. Vacuum coating technology is an indispensable tool for producing the most advanced next-generation battery materials. It is crucial that the manufacturing capability for such coating technology keeps pace with the exponential demand for advanced batteries expected in the coming years. Read more
