High-rate deposition of abrasion resistant coatings using a dual-source expanding thermal plasma reactor

A unique high-rate plasma deposition process has been developed to generate abrasion resistant coatings on polymeric substrates. The process relies on the integration of a plurality of individual expanding thermal plasma sources into a multisource setup. In this work, we will discuss the effects of various hardware and process parameters on the performance of a dual-source system that has been used to apply abrasion resistant coatings to polycarbonate substrates. It will be shown that a properly engineered dual-source system can generate transparent organosilicon-based coatings that provide uniform glasslike abrasion resistance across a 30 cm width on substrates that are laterally translated past the dual-source array. (C) 2003 American Vacuum Society.