Abstract: The apparatus for applying film coatings onto substrates in vacuum comprises a vacuum working chamber with a holder of substrates and magnetron material sputtering units, an evacuation chamber equipped with magnetron pump and communicating with a gas source, a pre-evacuation pump, an auxiliary evacuation chamber with a magnetron pump, an auxiliary gas source and a system of conduits. The system includes a conduit equipped with a control valve, communicating the auxiliary gas source with the auxiliary evacuation chamber, and two conduits each with its control valve, communicating the respective gas sources with the working chamber.

Abstract: The disclosed method of ionized-plasma spraying includes the steps of loading an article to be coated into a vacuum chamber, pumping out active gases from the vacuum chamber to a pre-evacuation level, cutting off the pre-evacuation pump, leaking an inert gas into the vacuum chamber, pumping out active gases from the vacuum chamber to the working pressure, spraying a coating onto the article in an inert gas atmosphere, and after the application of the coating terminating the pumping out of active gases from the vacuum chamber and leaking air thereinto, the subsequent pumping out of air from the vacuum chamber being effected to a pressure of 6 to 66 Pa.The apparatus for perfoming the method comprises a high evacuation unit including a magnetron pump connected with the vacuum chamber through a cutoff valve and associated with means for monitoring the residual atmosphere.