Directed Vapor Technologies services a wide range of customers across a variety of industries. We have the coating expertise to enhance the performance of products in all types of applications from aerospace engines to advanced conductive films for specialized electronics.

Directed Vapor Technology’s high rate, vapor phase processing approach, Directed Vapor Deposition (DVD), can be used for the high throughput creation of solid electrolyte compositions being considered for next generation, higher energy density solid-state batteries. The process can also be used to enable high rate manufacturing of other battery components.  DVTI’s technology addresses key roadblocks – materials process and costs – to achieving high through put production of next generation, higher energy density solid-state batteries.  Adoption of high energy density solid-state batteries is currently limited by the low deposition rates associated with conventional deposition approaches.

DVD is a gas jet assisted E-beam PVD coating process that focuses the vapor flux onto the target substrate for efficient deposition of materials, resulting in superior compositional control of dense deposits with enhanced ionic conductivity. This vapor phase processing approach is not limited to electrolyte materials as it is capable of depositing other solid-state battery layers such as cathodes and anodes. Directed Vapor Technologies can deposit a broad range of complex compositions as well multi-layer compositions and battery architectures.

Lithium Phosphorous Oxynitride (LiPON) Electrolytes

Photo Courtesy of the University of Virginia

DVTI’s Directed Vapor Deposition (DVD) process is effective at depositing well adhered metal materials at high rates onto polymer fibers, carbon fibers and carbon nanotube fibers for the creation of lightweight, flex tolerant wires in an economic manner which will supports aerospace industry goals of achieving lighter weight conductors. These lighter weight cables allow for considerable savings in launch cost for spacecraft as well as improved fuel efficiency for aircraft.

DVTI has developed a continuous processing line for economically coating large quantities of various polymer fibers including carbon fibers as well as carbon nanotube yarns and tapes.

The aircraft industry has goals to reduce overall fuel consumption and increase overall efficiency. Increasing engine operation temperatures can greatly improve both the fuel efficiency and thrust of gas turbine engines. As a result, efforts are on-going to increase the safe operating temperature of multiple components in the engine (i.e. turbine blades, vanes, and disks). Such efforts are ultimately interconnected as increased temperatures in the hottest sections of the engine (e.g. the high pressure turbine) result in moderate temperature increases in other sections. DVTI specializes in performance enhancing coatings for the demanding conditions of turbine engine hot sections.

DVTI specializes in coatings of complex aerospace components such as environmentally friendly alternatives to hazardous heavy metal coatings for environmental and wear protection of high strength steel for landing gear components, actuators and other vital aerospace components.

Replacing environmentally hazardous inorganic materials, in particular cadmium and hard chrome, currently used in the maintenance and/or sustainment is a high priority for the aviation industry.  Directed Vapor’s non-toxic replacement coatings do not contain any materials currently identified on the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Emerging Contaminants WATCH List and/or ACTION List. Current replacement technologies utilized by the aviation industry are limited to coating application onto line-of-sight regions and thus, many components that require coatings onto non-line-of-sight (NLOS) regions still require a suitable technology to enable heavy metal removal. Directed Vapor Deposition (DVD) is an environmentally friendly, vapor deposition technique that facilitates NLOS deposition onto the internal regions of components, allows flexible control or the coating composition and microstructure, and enables high rate, highly economical deposition. To achieve this Directed Vapor uses its Directed Vapor Deposition (DVD) process, which is an advanced version of electron beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD).

The DVD process has the capability to deposit wear coatings (nano-composites) and corrosion (aluminum and aluminum alloy) coatings that have suitable qualification requirements for chromium and cadmium replacement, as well as, effective coatings onto internal regions such as complex geometries, hard to reach cavities and cylindrical areas. The impact of reducing the use of cadmium and chromium coatings without decreasing performance is that significant reductions in hazardous waste generation will be achieved. This reduction will limit the exposure of personnel to toxic materials and greatly reduce the costs associated with material disposal. These coatings can be used to protect critical components (including aircraft landing gear, tailhooks, material fasteners and electrical connectors) from the effects of corrosion and wear without the hazardous effects of currently used materials.

Directed Vapor Technologies has developed specialized coatings used as thermal barriers for components in the combustion area of engines as wells as wear resistant surface coatings.

Coatings onto medical devices are increasing as recent advances seek to improve the capabilities of existing devices or enable new approaches. Included are radiopaque coatings on stents, silver based anti-microbial coatings to improve bio-compatibility and tribological layers having low friction and high hardness. Many of these devices have complicated shapes making uniform coating challenging and require precise composition and morphological control. Directed vapor deposition can apply conformal coatings of metals and ceramics onto these parts using non line-of-sight deposition. The ability to vary the coating porosity (from highly porous to completely dense) creates addition flexibility.