PVD Coatings
Our leading-edge PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) process applies extremely thin film to a variety of substrates. In the mid 1800’s a scientist named Faraday evaporated thin films in a vacuum when he exploded wires in his laboratory. It was not until the late 1800’s that the first films would be deposited in a vacuum by Nahrwold. This was the beginning of the vacuum deposition method that we now call PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) coating. The application of this technology remained primarily academic until the post World War II era. The branch of PVD coating technology called ion plating was not developed until 1963 by Donald Mattox.
The PVD technology consists of three primary deposition methods, evaporation, sputtering and cathodic arc. The PVD coating process is an environmentally friendly vacuum coating process that can apply various films at varying process temperatures. This flexibility allows coatings to be applied to a variety of substrates, from plastic to steel.
- TS NCT offers a variety of PVD coating options.
- TS NCT PVD coatings serve a variety of applications, from Surgical Instruments to Cutting Tools to Injection molding, and more.
Ion plating is a branch of PVD coating. The ion plating process ionizes the material being evaporated. This ionization greatly enhances the properties and adhesion of the film being applied. For more detailed information about the PVD coating process and ion plating, choose the Coating Process option from the menu.
The PVD coating process is often times confused with the CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) process. The CVD process is a thermal deposition process rather than a physical deposition process.
Our Cathodic Arc process deposits a denser film with superior adhesion.
To achieve the best possible adhesion of the coating to the substrate`s surface TS NCT uses the PVD coating process known as cathodic arc. The cathodic coating process is extremely versatile and allows monolayer, multilayer, graded or alloy films to be deposited on a variety of substrates at various processing temperatures. Although there are many different PVD coating methods being used commercially, none can provide the adhesion of cathodic arc. Because of its extremely high ionization rate, the cathodic arc process deposits a very dense film with excellent adhesion to the substrate.
For a more detailed explanation of the various PVD coating methods and the differences between the PVD and CVD coating processes, please choose the PVD coating process comparison.
This photograph at left shows the inside of one of our coating systems. The intense plasma generated by the arc evaporation source continually bombards the substrates during the coating cycle. The plasma generated has a high concentration of ions which yields well adhered dense films.
Cathodic Arc Coating SystemThe schematic above/right represents a typical cathodic arc coating system with large area cathodes.
The SEM photo at right shows a dense well adhered film deposited using a cathodic arc system.
NCT`s coatings can be applied at various substrate temperatures. We currently offer our 500 degree Fahrenheit low temperature process and our standard process that operates at 800 degrees Fahrenheit. The coating is deposited 2 to 5 microns thick and our system design allows components to be placed within the coating fixture easily.
Large area cathodes provide excellent coating uniformity for repeatable consistent results. A typical coating process consists of placing the product into the chamber, pumping it down to the desired vacuum pressure and starting the preheating cycle. After the heating cycle is complete, the ion bombardment cycle begins. This cleans the substrate`s surface prior to depositing the coating.
After the ion bombardment cycle is complete, the coating cycle begins. The cathodic arc process evaporates the material from the target. As this material is evaporated, a very high percentage of it is ionized. An electrical charge is applied to the substrate, which draws the ions to the substrate`s surface. The evaporated material reacts with the gas that is emitted into the chamber to form the desired coating. The coating cycle continues until the desired coating thickness has been deposited. The substrate is allowed to cool and is removed from the chamber.