Physical vapor deposition

PVD is used in the manufacturing of items which require thin films for optical, mechanical, electrical, acoustic or chemical functions.

[3] The source material is unavoidably also deposited on most other surfaces interior to the vacuum chamber, including the fixturing used to hold the parts.

[10] The configuration of the polymer is important where it needs to be positioned in a lower energy state before the added molecules bury the material through a deposition.

This PVD-colored stainless steel can be used as exterior cladding for buildings and structures, such as the Vessel sculpture in New York City and The Bund in Shanghai.

It is also used for interior hardware, paneling, and fixtures, and is even used on some consumer electronics, like the Space Gray and Gold finishes of the iPhone and Apple Watch.

It is possible to combine PVD with a plasma nitriding treatment of steel to increase the load bearing capacity of the coating.

Inside the plasma -spray physical vapor deposition (PS-PVD) chamber, ceramic powder is introduced into the plasma flame, which vaporizes it and then condenses it on the (cooler) workpiece to form the ceramic coating.
PVD process flow diagram
This figure gives a simple illustration of the process of PVD where the desired deposited gas molecules enter the chamber after being condensed, and then are condensed once again onto a thin film, such as the anisotropic glass.