Abstract: A directed vapor deposition (DVD) method and system for applying at least one bond coating on at least one substrate for thermal barrier coating systems. To overcome the limitations incurred by conventional methods, the DVD system uses an electron beam directed vapor deposition (DVD) technique to evaporate and deposit compositionally and morphologically controlled bond coats at high rate. The present DVD system uses the combination of an electron beam and a combined inert gas/reactive gas carrier jet of controlled composition to create engineering films. In this system, the vaporized material can be entrained in the carrier gas jet and deposited onto the substrate at a high rate and with high materials utilization efficiency. The velocity and flux of the gas atoms entering the chamber, the nozzle parameters, and the operating chamber pressure can all be significantly varied, facilitating wide processing condition variation and allowing for improved control over the properties of the deposited layer.

Abstract: A deposition method that improves the direct vapor deposition process by enabling the vapor deposition from multiple evaporate sources to form new compositions of deposition layers over larger and broader substrate surface areas than heretofore could be covered by a DVD process, including providing layers with varying vapor pressures onto the substrate, as well as columnar thermal barrier over an environmental barrier and the gradual modification of the composition of the environment barrier coating and/or columnar thermal barrier coating.

Abstract: Depositing pure aluminum and aluminum alloy coatings onto substrates using directed vapor deposition (DVD) method is presented herein. The aluminum alloys have decreased environmental impact both due to their composition and due to the use of DVD process with no hazardous precursors or waste. Corrosion resistance of DVD deposited aluminum and aluminum alloys is effective for protection of steel substrates. The invention includes the use of the DVD technique to apply aluminum and/or aluminum alloy coatings effective for corrosion protection; the use of plasma-activated DVD to enhance the density of aluminum and aluminum alloy coatings deposited at low substrate temperatures; the use of multi-source evaporation to control composition of aluminum alloys during DVD deposition; the application of aluminum and/or aluminum alloy coatings onto NLOS substrates can be used for corrosion protection.

Abstract: Depositing pure aluminum and aluminum alloy coatings onto substrates using directed vapor deposition (DVD) method is presented herein. The aluminum alloys have decreased environmental impact both due to their composition and due to the use of DVD process with no hazardous precursors or waste. Corrosion resistance of DVD deposited aluminum and aluminum alloys is effective for protection of steel substrates. The invention includes the use of the DVD technique to apply aluminum and/or aluminum alloy coatings effective for corrosion protection; the use of plasma-activated DVD to enhance the density of aluminum and aluminum alloy coatings deposited at low substrate temperatures; the use of multi-source evaporation to control composition of aluminum alloys during DVD deposition; the application of aluminum and/or aluminum alloy coatings onto NLOS substrates can be used for corrosion protection.

Abstract: A deposition method that improves the direct vapor deposition process by enabling the vapor deposition from multiple evaporate sources to form new compositions of deposition layers over larger and broader substrate surface areas than heretofore could be covered by a DVD process, including providing layers with varying vapor pressures onto the substrate, as well as columnar thermal barrier over an environmental barrier and the gradual modification of the composition of the environment barrier coating and/or columnar thermal barrier coating.

Abstract: The present invention provides for a method and apparatus for the directed vapor deposition (DVD) on non-line of sight (NLOS) portions of a substrate. The method and apparatus includes evaporating a first material for deposition on to the substrate, the evaporating generating a plurality of vapor molecules. The method and apparatus therein provides for the insertion of a carrier gas and the direction of the vapor molecules to be deposited in NLOS regions of the substrate. One embodiment utilizes plasma activation to ionize the vapor particles and bias the substrate to attract the charged vapor molecules onto the NLOS portion. Another embodiment uses an inert gas as the carrier gas. Another embodiment includes pre-heating the carrier gas prior to its insertion into the deposition chamber. Whereby the varying embodiments and combinations herein improve NLOS DVD.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming a thermal barrier coating system in communication with at least a portion of at least one substrate. The method includes: depositing a first bond coat on at least a portion of at least one substrate; depositing a first thermal barrier coat disposed on the bond coat; whereby the deposition occurs in one or more chambers to form the thermal barrier coating system; and wherein the deposition of the first bond coat (or subsequent bond coats) and the deposition of the first thermal barrier coat (or subsequent thermal barrier coats) is performed without out-of chamber handling of the thermal barrier coating system.

Abstract: A directed vapor deposition (DVD) method and system for applying at least one bond coating on at least one substrate for thermal barrier coating systems. To overcome the limitations incurred by conventional methods, the DVD system uses an electron beam directed vapor deposition (DVD) technique to evaporate and deposit compositionally and morphologically controlled bond coats at high rate. The present DVD system uses the combination of an electron beam and a combined inert gas/reactive gas carrier jet of controlled composition to create engineering films. In this system, the vaporized material can be entrained in the carrier gas jet and deposited onto the substrate at a high rate and with high materials utilization efficiency. The velocity and flux of the gas atoms entering the chamber, the nozzle parameters, and the operating chamber pressure can all be significantly varied, facilitating wide processing condition variation and allowing for improved control over the properties of the deposited layer.

Abstract: A directed vapor deposition (DVD) method and system for applying at least one bond coating on at least one substrate for thermal barrier coating systems. To overcome the limitations incurred by conventional methods, the DVD system uses an electron beam directed vapor deposition (DVD) technique to evaporate and deposit compositionally and morphologically controlled bond coats at high rate. The present DVD system uses the combination of an electron beam and a combined inert gas/reactive gas carrier jet of controlled composition to create engineering films. In this system, the vaporized material can be entrained in the carrier gas jet and deposited onto the substrate at a high rate and with high materials utilization efficiency. The velocity and flux of the gas atoms entering the chamber, the nozzle parameters, and the operating chamber pressure can all be significantly varied, facilitating wide processing condition variation and allowing for improved control over the properties of the deposited layer.

Abstract: A methodology and system for applying coatings onto the interior surfaces of components, includes a vapor creation device, a vacuum chamber having a moderate gas pressure and an inert gas jet having controlled velocity and flow fields. The gas jet is created by a rarefied, inert gas supersonic expansion through a nozzle. By controlling the carrier gas flow into a region upstream of the nozzle an upstream pressure is achieved. The carrier gas flow and chamber pumping rate control the downstream pressure. The ratio of the upstream to downstream pressure along with the size and shape of the nozzle opening controls the speed of the gas entering the chamber. Vapor created from a source is transported into the interior regions of a component using binary collisions between the vapor and gas jet atoms. These collisions enable the vapor atoms to scatter onto the interior surfaces of the component and deposit.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming a thermal barrier coating system (90) in communication with at least a portion of at least one substrate (92). The method includes: depositing a first bond coat (94) on at least a portion of at least one substrate (92); depositing a first thermal barrier coat (96) disposed on the bond coat (94); whereby the deposition occurs in one or more chambers to form the thermal barrier coating system (90); and wherein the deposition of the first bond coat (94) (or subsequent bond coats) and the deposition of the first thermal barrier coat (96) (or subsequent thermal barrier coats) is performed without out-of-chamber handling of the thermal barrier coating system (90).

Abstract: A direct vapor deposition (DVD) method and apparatus for applying coating(s) on substrate(s), including: presenting at least one of the substrates to a chamber, presenting at least one evaporant source (125) in crucible (110) to the chamber; presenting at least one carrier gas stream (105) to the chamber using a ring-shaped (133) converging/diverging nozzle (130); impinging at least one evaporant source with at least one electron beam in the chamber to generate an evaporated vapor flux in a main direction respective for any of the evaporant sources impinged by the electron beam; and guiding at least one of the generated evaporated vapor flux by at least one carrier gas stream from the ring shaped gap (132), which is essentially parallel to the main direction and substantially surrounds the evaporated flux. The evaporated vapor flux at least partially coats at least one of the substrates.

Abstract: A direct vapor deposition (DVD) apparatus and method is taught, that provides a carrier gas flow entraining vapor atoms for the coating of regions on a substrate that are not in line-of-sight. The degree of non line-of-sight (NLOS) coating, hence thickness uniformity around the substrate is a sensitive function of the flow conditions. For a fixed background pressure in the region of deposition, an increase in the uniformity of the coating thickness is accomplished as the flow velocity is reduced. This improvement in uniformity is a result of an increase in the fraction of vapor atoms which deposit in NLOS positions on the substrate such as backside (21) of fiber (65) as indicated by vapor streamlines (51). Vapor impact width (VIW) is the width of the vapor flux impacting on some area of the fiber. Front side coating (FSC) width is the vapor width of atoms impacting on the substrate frontside (22).

Abstract: Provided is a methodology and system for applying coatings onto the interior surfaces of components. The approach comprises a vapor creation device (for example an electron beam or laser that evaporates a single or multiplicity of solid or liquid sources), a vacuum chamber having a moderate gas pressure (between about 10?4 to about 103 Torr) and a inert gas jet having controlled velocity and flow fields of gas jet. The gas jet is created by a rarefied, inert gas supersonic expansion through a nozzle. By controlling the carrier gas flow into a region upstream of the nozzle an upstream pressure is achieved (i.e. the gas pressure prior to its entrance into the processing chamber through the nozzle). The carrier gas flow and chamber pumping rate control the downstream (or chamber) pressure (i.e., downstream of the nozzle). The ratio of the upstream to downstream pressure along with the size and shape of the nozzle opening controls the speed of the gas entering the chamber.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming a thermal barrier coating system (90) in communication with at least a portion of at least one substrate (92). The method includes: depositing a first bond coat (94) on at least a portion of at least one substrate (92); depositing a first thermal barrier coat (96) disposed on the bond coat (94); whereby the deposition occurs in one or more chambers to form the thermal barrier coating system (90); and wherein the deposition of the first bond coat (94) (or subsequent bond coats) and the deposition of the first thermal barrier coat (96) (or subsequent thermal barrier coats) is performed without out-of-chamber handling of the thermal barrier coating system (90).

Abstract: Provided herein are methods and apparatuses, and resulting structures, for depositing ceramic coatings with preferred coating density, morphology and adherence for applications such as thermal protection of internally cooled components. Such components are found in, but not limited thereto, the hot sections of gas turbine and diesel engines and in turbo machinery. These coatings require a low thermal conductivity in the through thickness of the coating, high in-plane elastic compliance, high erosion and foreign object damage resistance and resistance to hot corrosion. The methods and apparatuses discussed herein provide, among other things, how to manipulate the process conditions in EB-DVD systems to deposit high quality, highly efficient TBS top coats as well as how to deposit high quality TBC top coats onto positions that are in the line-of-sight, as well as non-line of sight, of the vapor source.

Abstract: Plasma deposition apparatus (1) and method that allows metal or nonmetal vapor (6) to be generated by electron-beam evaporation, guides that vapor using a noble gas stream (containing reactive gases in cases of reactive evaporation), ionizes the dense directed gas and vapor stream at working pressures above about 0.0001 mbar using a hollow cathode plasma arc discharge (11), and conveys the ionized vapor and/or gas stream towards the substrate (4) for impact on the surface at energies varying from thermal levels (as low as about 0.05 eV) up to about 300 eV.

Abstract: A direct vapor deposition (DVD) method and apparatus for applying coating(s) on substrate(s), including: presenting at least one of the substrates to a chamber, presenting at least one evaporant source (125) in crucible (110) to the chamber; presenting at least one carrier gas stream (105) to the chamber using a ring-shaped (133) converging/diverging nozzle (130); impinging at least one evaporant source with at least one electron beam in the chamber to generate an evaporated vapor flux in a main direction respective for any of the evaporant sources impinged by the electron beam; and guiding at least one of the generated evaporated vapor flux by at least one carrier gas stream from the ring shaped gap (132), which is essentially parallel to the main direction and substantially surrounds A the evaporated flux. The evaporated vapor flux at least partially coats at least one of the substrates.

Abstract: Plasma deposition apparatus (1) and method that allows metal or nonmetal vapor (6) to be generated by electron-beam evaporation, guides that vapor using a noble gas stream (containing reactive gases in cases of reactive evaporation), ionizes the dense directed gas and vapor stream at working pressures above about 0.0001 mbar using a hollow cathode plasma arc discharge (11), and conveys the ionized vapor and/or gas stream towards the substrate (4) for impact on the surface at energies varying from thermal levels (as low as about 0.05 eV) up to about 300 eV.