The invention provides an apparatus for treating surfaces of a container. The apparatus comprises an openable reaction chamber housing, an exhaust escapement and an electrode assembly. The electrode assembly comprises a probe assembly coupled with a power source, the probe assembly comprising an elongate wand body, and a helically configured primary electrode and a helically configured counter electrode disposed about an outer circumferential surface of the wand body in an alternating helical configuration. The elongate wand body has a fluid passageway defined therewithin, and one or more outlet openings that are formed on an outer circumferential surface of the wand body and that extend inward through said outer circumferential surface and upto the fluid passageway. One or both of the primary electrode and the counter electrode may be energizable by the power source.

Systems and methods for producing carbon-based coatings featuring diamond-like carbon (DLC) structures on the internal surfaces of cylindrical or tube-like components is disclosed. The methods feature the use of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) to provide a generally uniform coating on the surface. Longitudinally homogeneous plasma is ignited directly inside the tube-like component. A bipolar pulse with a reverse active plasma step is used. The pressure and bias voltage are selected so as to cause the deposition of a carbon-based coating on the inner surface.

A chemical vapor deposition system for coating one or more workpieces is described herein. The deposition system includes a plurality of processing chambers which may be operated independently to increase throughput of the deposition system. Each chamber includes a modular fixture that is configured to maintain the workpieces in a predetermined arrangement which allows for a hollow cathode effect to be maintained in an Interior space of the chamber. The deposition system achieves significantly faster, higher-quality deposition and more complete, conformal coverage.

Rapid plasma nitriding is achieved by harnessing the power and increased density of plasma discharges created by hollow cathodes. When opposing surfaces are maintained at the proper voltage, sub atmospheric pressure, and spacing, a phenomenon known as the hollow cathode effect creates additional hot oscillating electrons capable of multiple ionization events thereby increasing the number of ions and electrons per unit volume (plasma density). The present invention describes the harnessing of this phenomenon to rapidly plasma nitride metal surfaces and optionally rapidly deposit functional coatings in a continuous operation for duplex coatings.

A thin film deposition method may include preparing a substrate structure having an opening region formed in a vertical direction and a plurality of holes formed in a horizontal direction in each of two side portions exposed by the opening region, and adsorbing an inhibitor to surfaces of the substrate structure so that an adsorption density of the inhibitor outside of the plurality of holes is higher than an adsorption density inside of the plurality of holes by adsorbing the inhibitor in a deposition environment in which a gas diffusivity is larger in the vertical direction than in the horizontal direction. A deposition process of a material film on the inside and outside of the plurality of holes is then performed, wherein a deposition rate of the material film may vary according to the adsorption density of the inhibitor.

A device for the plasma treatment of containers comprises a process gas producer for producing a process gas mixture and at least one coating station, which comprises at least one plasma chamber having a treatment place, in which plasma chamber at least one container having a container interior can be inserted and positioned on the treatment place, each plasma chamber being at least partially evacuable in order to suck the process gas provided by the process gas producer through the container, the interior thereof thus being provided with an inner coating by means of plasma treatment, and pressure-measuring apparatuses being provided at predefined points of the device in order to ensure the process stability. The pressure-measuring apparatuses at least at some of the predefined points of the device comprise gas-type-dependent pressure transducers.

The present invention relates to a device for coating containers with a barrier layer having at least one plasma chamber, which encloses at least one treatment space, in which at least one container with a container interior can be inserted and can be positioned on the treatment space, wherein a gas lance is provided which can be introduced into the container interior and which further acts as microwave antenna, with the plasma chamber being designed to be capable at least of partial evacuation and being designed to fill the container interior at least partially with a plasma and a process gas. The device is designed such that the container can be preheated by means of a plasma, more particularly by means of a microwave plasma, using a noble gas which can be introduced into the container interior through the gas lance.

A method for producing a plastic element provided with fine surface roughness is provided. In the method, etching of a surface of the plastic element is performed separately in a first step and in a second step, in the first step, fine roughness having a predetermined average value of pitch in the range from 0.05 to 1 micrometer is generated on the surface through reactive ion etching in an atmosphere of a first gas; and in the second step, an average value of depth of the fine roughness generated in the first step is adjusted to a predetermined value in the range from 0.15 to 1.5 micrometers while the predetermined average value of pitch is substantially maintained through reactive ion etching in an atmosphere of a second gas, reactivity to the plastic element of the second gas being lower than reactivity to the plastic element of the first gas.

A method of applying a treatment to a surface of an open body having a volume within an interior of the open body comprises; providing an inner structure (110) shaped to complement the shape of the interior of the open body and to fill a major portion of the volume or a major portion of a width of the interior of the open body; positioning the inner structure (110) within the open body in order to form a treatment fluid inner volume comprising an inner space (150) confronting an inner surface within the interior of the open body; and introducing a treatment fluid into the treatment fluid inner volume to thereby modify the inner surface of the open body by applying the treatment using the treatment fluid. Optionally, the method includes providing a tank (120) shaped to complement and contain the open body; positioning the open body within the tank (120) in order to form a treatment fluid outer volume comprising an outer space confronting the outer surface of the open body; and introducing the treatment fluid into the treatment fluid outer volume to thereby modify the outer surface of the open body by applying the treatment using the treatment fluid.

An apparatus and to a method for treating layers using a plasma zone sealed from the outer atmospheric pressure are provided. The apparatus and method include a plasma reactor including a substrate carrier in form of a container receiving means, and a closing element that is joined with the substrate carrier by means of a lifting device.