US 7,482,035 B2
Method of coating a substrate by a thermal application of the coating material
Richard K. Schmid, Melville, N.Y. (US); Arno Refke, Mellingen (Switzerland); Gerard Barbezat, Opfikon (Switzerland); and David Hawley, Kings Park, N.Y. (US)
Assigned to Sulzer Metco AG, Wohlen (Switzerland)
Filed on Apr. 28, 2004, as Appl. No. 10/835,358.
Claims priority of application No. 03405368 (EP), filed on May 23, 2003.
Prior Publication US 2004/0234687 A1, Nov. 25, 2004
Int. Cl. C23C 14/54 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 427—10  [427/571; 427/579; 427/294] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for depositing a coating onto a substrate using a plasma jet whose properties are defined by controllable process parameters, wherein coating material and a process gas mixture are injected into the plasma jet where the coating material is partly or completely evaporated in dependence on the controllable parameters; the coating material in the plasma jet is present in vapor phase or in vapor and condensed phases, and one or both phases of the coating material are at least partly deposited on the substrate, and the relative proportion of vapor or condensed phase for the coating material transported in the plasma jet is measured by a diagnostic measuring method; wherein an optical measuring process is used for the diagnosis of the plasma jet in which the vapor proportion is measured by means of a spectroscopic or pyrometric process, or the proportion of the condensed phase, which is present in the form of a plurality of droplets, particles or a combination thereof, is measured by means of a scattered light measurement using an auxiliary light source; and wherein the relative proportion of vapor or condensed phase of coating material in the plasma jet is set by setting the controllable process parameters with respect to set-point values of the process parameters, which correspond to a predetermined vapor proportion or to a proportion of condensed phase, for the direct manufacture of the coating by deposition of coating material from the plasma phase onto the substrate.