Coating apparatus and method for forming a coating layer on monolith substrates

摘要

A coating apparatus includes modular interfaces and substrate receptors for accommodating various shapes and sizes of monolith substrates when coating layers are applied onto the monolith substrates. The monolith substrates are laterally surrounded by an elastically deformable sleeve that prevents lateral leakage of a vacuum out of the monolith substrate when a vacuum is applied to opposing ends of the monolith substrate, thereby eliminating needs for bulky vacuum chambers. The coating apparatus also includes valves and control apparatus that enable excess precursor liquid to be drained from monolith channels in-situ, without the use of additional spin-drying steps. Coating methods for using the coating apparatus are provided.

主权项

1. A coating apparatus for forming a coating layer on a monolith substrate, the coating apparatus comprising:
a liquid-precursor source in fluidic communication with a general inlet interface; a general outlet interface in fluidic communication with a drawing system; an elastically deformable sleeve that laterally surrounds the monolith substrate to form a sleeved monolith substrate and that prevents lateral leakage of a vacuum out of the monolith substrate when the vacuum is applied to opposing ends of the monolith substrate not surrounded by the elastically deformable sleeve, an inlet substrate receptor positioned between the general inlet interface and the sleeved monolith substrate during operation of the coating apparatus; and an outlet substrate receptor positioned between the general outlet interface and the sleeved monolith substrate during operation of the coating apparatus,wherein:
the elastically deformable sleeve is a sheet of latex or polytetrafluoroethylene wrapped around the monolith substrate horizontally or diagonally to conform to and fit tightly around the outer contours of the monolith substrate, the sheet covering all lateral walls of the monolith substrate; the elastically deformable sleeve provides complete vacuum-tight isolation of the monolith substrate during operation of the coating apparatus; the sleeved monolith substrate is removably interposed between the inlet substrate receptor and the outlet substrate receptor; the inlet substrate receptor accommodates a sleeve inlet end of the elastically deformable sleeve; the outlet substrate receptor accommodates a sleeve outlet end of the elastically deformable sleeve; and monolith channels of the monolith substrate are in fluidic communication with the general inlet interface and the general outlet interface.