Particle Coating Chamber With Perpendicular Deposition and Wall Cleaning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing coating technologies for particles face challenges such as limited coating rates, inhomogeneous layer thickness, parasitic coating of the chamber wall, and inefficient use of coating material, particularly for particles in the sub-micrometer range, leading to contamination and reduced service life of the coating device.
Innovation Solution
A coating arrangement with a hollow body having a smooth particle track, perpendicular coating material emission, and a cleaning device to remove parasitic coating, allowing for homogeneous all-sided coating and extended device life.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If particles are coated in a conventional coating chamber, then coating material is deposited on particles, but parasitic coating occurs on the chamber wall reducing service life
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful parasitic coating on the chamber wall is removed by a cleaning device that extracts and eliminates the deposited coating material, preventing it from accumulating and damaging the chamber over time
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning device operates continuously or periodically to maintain the chamber interior in a clean state throughout the coating process, ensuring consistent performance and extended service life without interruption
2Productivity
If coating material is emitted along the chamber axis, then coating source can be positioned centrally, but particles moving on inner wall receive limited coating material
Solution Approach 1:
The coating material emission direction is changed from along the chamber axis to perpendicular to the axis, radiating toward the inner wall where particles travel, ensuring uniform coating distribution in the radial dimension
Solution Approach 2:
The coating material is emitted specifically toward the region where particles are present (inner wall), creating a localized high-density coating material region that matches the particle distribution and ensures homogeneous coating
3Productivity
If particles move quickly through the chamber, then throughput increases, but coating material density region is not fully traversed
Solution Approach 1:
The particle movement path is designed to traverse the coating material density region perpendicularly to the emission direction, maximizing exposure to coating material while maintaining high throughput speed
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
Enables efficient, homogeneous coating with higher throughput and longer device lifespan by ensuring particles traverse the region of highest coating material density and continuous removal of parasitic coating.
Implementation Method 1
The coating source emits a coating material, for example as a vapor cloud, into the interior of the chamber substantially along the direction of the axis of the chamber
Implementation Method 2
a cleaning device (33) arranged in the interior of the hollow body (21) and adapted for removing parasitic coating from the inner wall (23) of the hollow body (21)
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a coating arrangement for coating particles, a method for coating particles, and corresponding uses. The coating arrangement includes a coating chamber and a coating device arranged in the coating chamber. This device comprises a hollow body with an axis, the inner wall of which forms a particle track around the axis of the hollow body, a particle source and a particle sink, and at least one coating source. The coating source is adapted for emitting a coating material along a direction perpendicular to the axis of the hollow body. Furthermore, the coating device comprises a rotation device which is adapted for rotating the hollow body about its axis, and a cleaning device which is arranged in the interior of the hollow body in a stationary manner with respect to the hollow body and is adapted for removing adhering coating material from the inner wall of the hollow body.