Particle Coating Apparatus Using Atomic Layer Deposition
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing particle coating apparatuses face inefficiencies in producing uniformly coated magnetic powder particles due to difficulties in loading and spreading particles in a vacuum chamber, limiting production efficiency and film thickness uniformity.
Innovation Solution
A particle coating apparatus with a processing chamber and trays that allows for efficient loading and uniform coating of treatment target powder using atomic layer deposition, incorporating a powder layer forming unit and film forming unit to form a coating film on particle surfaces, enhancing production efficiency and film thickness uniformity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If soft magnetic metal particles are placed in a tray to form a coating film using atomic layer deposition, then an insulating film with uniform thickness can be formed, but the production efficiency cannot be sufficiently increased due to limited particle amount and difficult loading operation
Solution Approach 1:
The apparatus divides the processing chamber into multiple sections with multiple trays arranged vertically and horizontally. Each tray can hold particles independently, allowing parallel processing of multiple particle batches simultaneously. This segmentation enables both uniform coating on each tray and increased overall production capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces vertical arrangement of trays in addition to horizontal placement, utilizing three-dimensional space within the processing chamber. Multiple trays are positioned at different heights and locations, maximizing space utilization and enabling simultaneous processing of large quantities of particles without compromising coating uniformity.
2Ease of manufacture
If soft magnetic metal particles are manually placed and spread in a tray within a vacuum chamber, then coating can be performed, but the operation has high difficulty and low work efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
Particles are loaded onto trays outside the vacuum chamber in advance, where manual handling is easier and more efficient. The pre-loaded trays are then transferred as complete units into the vacuum chamber for coating, eliminating the difficult operation of manually placing and spreading particles inside the vacuum environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The trays are designed to hold particles in a stable, self-contained manner during transfer and processing. The particle layer configuration on each tray maintains its integrity without requiring continuous manual adjustment, allowing the system to proceed with automated or semi-automated coating operations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The apparatus achieves a significant increase in production efficiency and uniformity of the coating film thickness, enabling the formation of coated particles with enhanced magnetic and insulation characteristics.
Implementation Method 1
a particle coating apparatus configured to form a coating film on a surface of a particle of treatment target powder using an atomic layer deposition method
Data Source
AI summary
A particle coating apparatus configured to form a coating film on a surface of a particle of a treatment target powder using an atomic layer deposition method, includes a processing chamber including a chamber, and an opening/closing unit configured to open and close the chamber, a material gas supply unit configured to supply a material gas into the processing chamber, an oxidizing agent supply unit configured to supply an oxidizing agent into the processing chamber, a processing chamber exhaust unit configured to exhaust the processing chamber, a plurality of trays which is configured to be carried into the processing chamber through the opening/closing unit, and which is configured to hold a powder layer formed of the treatment target powder laid in a layer, and a placement part which is disposed in the processing chamber, and on which the plurality of trays is detachably placed.