Applied Materials, Inc.
ELECTRON BEAM PVD ENDPOINT DETECTION AND CLOSED-LOOP PROCESS CONTROL SYSTEMS

Abstract:

Embodiments described herein provide apparatus, software applications, and methods of a coating process, such as an Electron Beam Physical Vapor Deposition (EBPVD) of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) on objects. The objects may include aerospace components, e.g., turbine vanes and blades, fabricated from nickel and cobalt-based super alloys. The apparatus, software applications, and methods described herein provide at least one of the ability to detect an endpoint of the coating process, i.e., determine when a thickness of a coating satisfies a target value, and the ability for closed-loop control of process parameters.