PVD coating is a plasma coating process that involves a physical process of depositing a thin solid layer of another material onto a surface or component, making the object more durable. PVD coating is different from CVD coating. CVD coating is a chemical vapor deposition, and PVD does not require chemical reactions on the surface of the object to make the coating work. PVD coating can be achieved using several different techniques.

One of the most common techniques is plasma sputtering deposition. During this process, plasma is used to bombard the material, causing some of it to evaporate and then vapor deposit onto the desired surface.

What is physical vapor deposition? How are PVD coatings produced? Next, let's explore together with curiosity:

Firstly, PVD coatings are deposits formed by condensing vapors of different materials on appropriate surfaces. Metals, carbon, ceramics, glass, or polymers are the most commonly used materials. In the production of thin metal films, evaporative PVD plasma spraying is a special form.

For this technology, a hot plasma flame is generated in a certain working gas (such as air, xenon, nitrogen, etc.) and then introduced into the coating material in the form of fine powder. When it impacts a relatively cold substrate surface, this energy rapidly melts or evaporates, forming a fairly thick film.

One major advantage of plasma spraying is that it can be performed at atmospheric pressure, so vacuum equipment is not required. This process is also very fast. However, the coating area is often small.

So, plasma spraying is usually completed by a robotic arm, which moves the plasma nozzle evenly onto the substrate. Through this technology, large-area coatings can be completed in a short period of time. Plasma spraying is commonly used for high-temperature coatings, such as titanium oxide, aluminum oxide, or aluminum oxide.

On the other hand, sputtering is based on bombarding the target (i.e. the material block to be deposited) with atoms or ions. Sputtering can form coatings on complex three-dimensional surfaces. Therefore, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is widely used.

This is because SEM samples must have a conductive surface. If the surface resistance is high, a thin metal film must be applied on top before placing it in the SEM. This is because the energy of sputtered particles is high, but the temperature of sputtered atoms is low. Therefore, even thermal sensitive materials such as biological samples can be coated by physical vapor deposition.

Many modern industries use PVD technology in their manufacturing and supply lines. Here are some examples that rely on PVD:

Due to PVD's ability to deposit hard coatings such as chromium nitride and titanium nitride, there is a high demand for manufacturing high-quality, heavy-duty tools. For example, drill bits, cutting tools, and screwdrivers. Another advantage of physical vapor deposition coatings is that they can protect tools and machinery from corrosion.

PVD deposition technology is mainly used to improve the wear resistance of wear-resistant metal parts or make them corrosion-resistant. Generally, parts of the engine or chassis are treated with a thin film coating.

PVD can not only deposit gold, silver, and platinum coatings, but also be used to color stainless steel parts, giving them a delicate aesthetic. The latter is usually achieved by coating brass, silver, or gold on a steel substrate.

From producing highly complex mirrors to specially coated glass, the potential application range of PVD in the field of optics. Protective, reflective, or absorptive layers can be deposited on glass sheets, lenses, or prisms. These products have found many uses in modern high-tech optics, from laser components to optical instruments.

PVD (usually sputtering) is commonly used for two semiconductor applications: microchips and thin-film photovoltaic cells. In the former, most metals such as platinum, tungsten, or copper are sputtered; Sometimes it is multi-layered sedimentation. In the latter, rare earths, metals, or composite materials are coated on glass or plastic substrates.

PVD coating is just one method of coating the surface. Other methods require chemicals, which typically require a lot of cleaning and are not environmentally friendly. PVD coating is safer than these methods.

In addition, PVD coatings can be used for almost any type of inorganic material. In many industrial and research applications, plasma technology and its processing methods are used for surface chemical changes.

The use of dry cleaning, activation, etching, and deposition for surface treatment of materials is a powerful and cost-effective process choice. Being able to perform process selection with controllable repeatability and scalable equipment makes plasma processing an ideal core competency for any manufacturing company or research team.

In modern industrial production, plasma cleaning technology has become a common surface cleaning method. It can effectively and thoroughly remove dirt and impurities from the surface of objects, providing good surface quality for subsequent processing and coating.

So, common plasma cleaning machines use oxygen, ammonia, and argon. Oxygen, with high ion mass and strong impact force, can effectively destroy dirt and impurities on the surface of the object to be cleaned, and remove them. In the next episode, we will explore which gas is better for cleaning. Stay tuned and let's uncover the mystery of cleaning technology together!