FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions – AGC Plasma Technology Solutions

Q1: What is the History and Background of AGC Plasma Technology Solutions?

AGC Plasma Technology Solutions, a division of AGC Inc., was established following the 2011 merger between AGC Glass Europe and Interpane Glas Industrie AG. Originally created to serve the AGC Group’s internal glass coating needs, AGC Plasma now brings its extensive know-how in large-area PVD systems to external markets including optics, textiles, energy storage, and hydrogen.

With decades of experience in engineering, manufacturing, and installing turnkey sputtering equipment, AGC Plasma has built a solid reputation for innovation and reliability. Our in-house researchers continuously develop new industrial PVD and PECVD solutions to meet evolving market demands.

Learn more about our technology capabilities.

Q2: What Types of Turnkey Coating Equipment Does AGC Plasma Offer?

AGC Plasma specializes in advanced thin film vacuum coating systems using magnetron sputtering and proprietary Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) sources like PlasmaMAX™.

We provide:

Sheet-to-Sheet equipment for rigid or slightly curved substrates
Roll-to-Roll (Reel-to-Reel) systems for flexible substrates including polymer films and metal coils

All equipment is available from R&D to full industrial mass production scale.

Discover our equipment portfolio.

Q3: How Do Magnetron Sputtering and PECVD Work?

Magnetron Sputtering is a Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) process in which plasma-generated ions eject atoms from a target material to form a thin film on a substrate. AGC Plasma’s iOSMB magnet bar technology ensures exceptional coating uniformity, even on curved surfaces.

PlasmaMAX™ PECVD is a patented linear source that creates a high-density plasma to convert gaseous precursors into uniform thin films with high efficiency and ultra-high deposition rates.

Q4: What Are the Advantages of Magnetron Sputtering vs. PECVD?

Feature	Magnetron Sputtering	PECVD
Temperature Requirements	Low to moderate	Low
Film Density	High	Medium
Suitable Materials	Metals, oxides, nitrides	Insulators, semiconductors
Deposition Rate	Moderate	High
3D Conformality	Moderate	Excellent
Substrate Damage Risk	Moderate	Low

Magnetron Sputtering excels in complex stack coatings and is ideal for large-area deposition, while PECVD offers gentler, high-speed coating suitable for sensitive and flexible substrates.

Q5: What Are the Benefits of Inline Coating Systems?

AGC Plasma’s inline vacuum coating systems offer multiple advantages over traditional batch systems:

Superior uniformity (< 0.3% non-uniformity)
High throughput with fast pump-down cycles
Modular scalability for future capacity growth
Support for flexible and rigid substrates

Explore our inline PVD solutions.

Q6: What Are the Key Applications of AGC’s Large-Area Coating Technologies?

Applications for Large-Area PVD Systems:

Low-E and solar control architectural glass coatings
Reflective and anti-reflective optical layers
Conductive and thermal textile metallization
Multispectral camouflage (e.g., metallized tents)
Corrosion-resistant coatings for fuel cells and electrolyzers
Anti-bacterial/anti-viral coatings from the NanoBloc Horizon project
Battery-grade lithium sputtering for Li-metal anodes

Applications for Industrial PECVD Solutions:

Dielectric films: SiO₂, SiON
PFAS-free hydrophobic coatings for filtration
Thin-film materials for Li-ion and solid-state batteries

Learn more about our applications.

FAQ