Chemical vapor deposition, or CVD, is a technique that has been studied and used in a wide array of industries for applying high-performance thin-film coatings to materials for over 100 years. Applications for these coatings have historically been small in scale, mostly within research laboratories or as part of the manufacturing process for microelectronics. In the past two decades, however, manufacturing companies with CVD expertise have developed industrial-scale coating applications that solve material challenges plaguing broader industry. This presentation will introduce the CVD coating process, application examples, and real-world data proving where these coatings can signficantly improve the performance and lifetime of bare alloys. Applications to be discussed include improving the efficiency of stainless steel heat exchangers by reducing fouling, increasing exhaust component life in a corrosive semiconductor manufacturing process, and improving the sensitivity of process instrumentation in a methanol production facility.
