PVD target and application thereof
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Solution Overview
Problem
Stainless steel cookware with polytetrafluoroethylene coatings discolors at high temperatures and traps dirt, posing safety risks and cleaning challenges, while existing PVD layers also discolor and trap dirt, compromising non-stick performance and ease of cleaning.
Innovation Solution
A PVD target composed of silicon and one or more metals like chromium, zirconium, or titanium, forming a composite film that enhances surface hardness, prevents discoloration, and ensures non-stick performance without requiring a concave-convex substrate structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a PVD layer with concave-convex structure is formed to achieve non-stick performance, then non-stick performance is improved, but the PVD layer tends to trap dirt making cleaning inconvenient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the compositional parameters of the PVD target by incorporating multiple elements (Al, Ti, Si, Cr, Zr) in specific ratios, which fundamentally alters the film formation mechanism to produce a dense structure without requiring concave-convex geometry for non-stick performance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite material composition in the PVD target with multiple metallic elements and silicon, creating a multi-phase composite film structure that achieves both non-stick properties and smooth surface for easy cleaning through material composition rather than geometric structure
2Strength
If existing PVD layers are applied to stainless steel cookware, then durability is improved, but the PVD layer tends to discolor under high temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the compositional parameters by including specific heat-resistant elements (Cr, Ti, Zr) alongside Al and Si, changing the thermal stability parameters of the PVD film to prevent discoloration while maintaining durability at cooking temperatures
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite PVD film using multiple elements with complementary properties - Al for non-stick, Si for hardness, and Cr/Ti/Zr for heat resistance - achieving both durability and high-temperature stability through material composition
3Ease of operation
If polytetrafluoroethylene coating is applied to achieve non-stick performance, then non-stick performance is improved, but the coating will volatilize at 260°C and decompose at 350°C posing safety risks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent fundamentally changes the material composition parameter from organic polymer (PTFE) to inorganic metallic composite, eliminating the thermal decomposition issue while maintaining non-stick performance through the metallic alloy composition
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the short-lived organic coating that degrades at high temperature with a stable inorganic PVD coating that maintains its properties throughout the service life of the cookware, ensuring long-term safety and performance
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 PVD layer maintains hardness and non-stick performance at high temperatures, is easy to clean, and does not discolor, with improved bonding and gap-free deposition on smooth metal surfaces.
Implementation Method 1
Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) technology, which forms a PVD layer on metal surfaces
Data Source
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AI summary
The present application relates to a technical field of surface coating, and, in particular, to a PVD target and a use thereof. A PVD target, the PVD target consists of the following components by mass percentage: silicon 10-30% and a balance metal, the metal includes one or more selected from a group consisting of chromium, zirconium, and titanium. The PVD target provided in the present application can form a composite film composed of metal, silicon, metal nitrides, silicon nitride, and metal silicides on a surface of a metal substrate after undergoing physical vapor deposition. The composite film can ensure a tight bonding of the composite film through a combination of substances with different particle sizes, isolate air, and avoid gaps present in PVD films formed from single-element targets. Therefore, the PVD layer formed by the PVD target provided in the present application can enhance a surface hardness of the metal substrate, ensure that the PVD layer does not discolor when heated, and has good non-stick performance, making the surface easy to clean.