Chemical vapor deposition is a vacuum-based process used to produce high-purity, high-performance solid materials. Unlike thermal spray, which relies on melting and accelerating solid particles, CVD relies on the chemical reactions of gaseous precursors directly at the substrate surface. It is often used alongside or in competition with thermal spray for applying specialized thin films, though it is limited by slow deposition rates and the need for a vacuum chamber.
The customer asked for CVD diamond, but we convinced them our HVOF tungsten carbide would meet the wear spec at a fraction of the cost.
Thermal spray shops often lose ultra-thin, high-hardness jobs to CVD, but win when the customer needs a coating thicker than a few microns or a faster deposition rate.
Do not mix it up with
- VPS: VPS (vacuum plasma spray) melts and accelerates powder in a vacuum chamber, while CVD relies on the chemical reaction of gases.
Related terms
Thermal spray
Family of coating processes that melt or soften material and propel it onto a surface to build a layer.
HVOF
High-velocity oxygen fuel: burning fuel and oxygen under pressure to fire powder at supersonic speed.
VPS
Vacuum plasma spray: plasma spraying inside a low-pressure inert chamber to make oxide-free metal coatings.