Vacuum Coating Technology

In today's rapidly evolving technological landscape, vacuum coating technology quietly reshapes the boundaries of industry and daily life like an "invisible hand." From the scratch-resistant coatings on mobile phone screens to the high-temperature-resistant surfaces of spacecraft, this technology is using micron-level precision to unlock a new chapter in modern manufacturing.

Technical Principles and Process Innovations

At the core of vacuum coating lies the physical or chemical deposition process in a high-vacuum environment, which uniformly adheres materials such as metals and ceramics to the substrate surface at the atomic level. This technology eliminates the reliance on liquid media in traditional electroplating, avoiding pollution issues while enabling precise control of film thickness. For example, magnetron sputtering technology bombards the target material with ions, causing atomic particles to "sputter" onto the substrate and form a dense, uniform film. This process has been widely adopted in semiconductor manufacturing. 

With the development of nanotechnology, innovative processes such as Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) have emerged. ALD achieves sub-nanometer precision control of thin films by alternately introducing different precursor gases to "build" molecular structures layer by layer on the substrate surface. This groundbreaking technology is now shining brightly in the fields of flexible display devices and new energy batteries, providing revolutionary solutions for ultra-thin electronic components and high-efficiency energy storage devices. 

Cross-Industry Application Map

In the consumer electronics sector, vacuum coating technology has become the "beauty enhancer" for products such as smartphones and smartwatches. The physical vapor deposition (PVD) process creates metal-textured middle frames that are both lightweight and exhibit a premium luster. Meanwhile, diamond-like carbon (DLC) films enhance screen scratch resistance by 300%. What’s more remarkable is that this

technology can also generate oleophobic layers on glass surfaces, making fingerprints virtually invisible.

The aerospace sector has pushed vacuum coating technology to its limits. The high-temperature resistant ceramic coatings deposited on turbine blades can withstand scorching temperatures up to 1,600°C, while the multilayer dielectric films coated on satellite optical mirrors maintain 99.8% reflectivity in harsh space environments. These breakthroughs have extended spacecraft service life by over fivefold, demonstrating this technology's reliability under extreme conditions.