Apparatus for the production of electrically conductive film layers of controlled resistivity

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR USE IN THE PRODUCTION OF MEMBERS COMPRISING A SUPPORTING BASE ELEMENT AND AN ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE METAL OXIDE COMPRISING FILM HAVING A HIGH DEGREE OF UNIFORMITY IN THICKNESS AND ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES ACROSS THE FILM AREA WHICH COMPRISES A TUBULAR CHAMBER DIVIDED INTO AT LEAST TWO SECTIONS, MEANS TO HEAT SAID CHAMBER, WITH THE SECTION THEREOF ADJACENT THE INLET END OF THE CHAMBER BEING MAINTAINED AT A TEMPERATURE ABOVE 100*C. AND APPRECIABLY LESS THAN THE TEMPERATURE OF THE SECTION ADJACENT THE OUTLET END OF THE CHAMBER, SUCTION MEANS POSITIONED ON THE OUTLET END OF SAID CHAMBER CAPABLE OF WITHDRAWING FLUID FROM SAID CHAMBER UNIFORMLY ACROSS THE ENTIRE CROSS-SECTION THEREOF TO THEREBY CONTINUOUSLY MAINTAIN STREAMLINE FLUID FLOW THROUGH SAID CHAMBER, ROTATABLE MEANS POSITIONED WITHIN SAID OUTLET END SECTION OF SAID CHAMBER FOR ROTATABLY HOLDING A FILM SUPPORTING BASE ELEMENT WITHIN SAID OUTLET END SECTION, MEANS FOR DETERMINING THE TEMPERATURES PREVAILING WITHIN SAID CHAMBER SECTIONS, AND MEANS TO PRODUCE AN ATOMIZED FOG FROM A LIQUID SOLUTION AT THE INLET END OF SAID CHAMBER.