Thermal barrier coatings are electron beam vapor deposited on high temperature substrates using transport units coupled to media supplies within chambers and briefly uncoupled for transport to the next chamber

摘要

A thermal barrier coating (TBC) vapor deposition process, using substrate transport units coupled to media supplies during dwell periods in chambers and briefly uncoupled for transport to the next chamber, is new. A treatment process for electron beam vapor deposition of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) on bulk high temperature substrates comprises transferring preheated substrates by means of cooled transport units with associated substrate holders from a vacuum preheating chamber to a treatment chamber where the TBC layers are vacuum vapor deposited at high temperatures while optionally effecting multi-axial movement of the substrates, the transport units being transferred via lock and preheating chambers into the vapor deposition chamber and then into a cooling chamber. Each transport unit is transported stepwise after continuous passage from chamber to chamber, is connected by a conventional leakage-free docking system with a cooling and control media supply during the dwell time in a chamber and is then briefly uncoupled from the media supply for transport to the next chamber while an internal cooling circuit is maintained for parts of the transport unit and the substrate holders.