The world is increasingly becoming smaller, powerful and more integrated than ever before into our lives, and our technology requires a robust protection more than ever before. On the smaller end of the spectrum, our smartphones and all their tiny circuits are in a constant battle of attrition with the environment, just like any other humble single-chip device can be.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, implants in our bodies made to address medical needs keep their very lives on a precarious balance with the environment around them. At this point, Parylene coating can be seen as something truly amazing, offering a layer of ultrathin coating with no pinholes and that exhibits properties superior to any other known protective coating.
What Is a Parylene Coating? A Closer Look at the Process
Unfortunately, unlike the more traditional liquid-based paint/coating process, where suddenly coating is sprayed, dipped, or brushed on, the Parylene coating process is an exclusive and advanced technique referred to as vapor deposition polymerization. This production filtration in an ambient-temperature vacuum chamber is the secret to the superior properties of Parylene.
The dimer is a solid, powdered raw material to which the process starts. This dimer is brought to an increase of temperature, in a vaporizer, where it becomes a gas. The gaseous dimer is then passed through a high temperature ( Approximately 680 o C ) pyrolysis furnace that decomposes the dimer molecules into highly reactive monomers. These monomers are asked to be put in a vacuum chamber in which the parts that have to be coated are already present.
The monomers are polymerized spontaneously at room temperature and polymerize forming a smooth, continuous polymer film on all surfaces of the vessel. This is due to the fact that gaseous phase growth can even reach the most complex shaped geometries and the smallest crevices since it penetrates fully and will coating the entire surface including tiny crevasses. Since the method is solvent-free and is not a liquid based process, there is no risk of pooling or bridging or formation of an air bubble and it actually forms a truly conformal stress free and pinhole free layer.
The Unmatched Advantages of Parylene Coating
There are several aspects to the coating application technique of a Parylene coating that gives it a myriad of characteristics making it ideally suited to critical applications where the coating failure is simply unacceptable.
- Truly Conformal and Pinhole-Free: The gaseous characteristic of the deposition process makes sure that the thickness is uniform on all its surfaces regardless of its complexity. This forms a smooth, pinhole free barrier that serves to insulate the substrate fully against an external environment.
- Exceptional Barrier Materials: Parylene offers a strong barrier protection against a wide variety of contamination, such as moisture, corrosive gases, solvents, chemicals, and acids. It is a superb option in sealing touchy electronics.
- High Dielectric Strength: Having a high dielectric strength, a Parylene coating is a good electrical insulator. This is imperative to high-density circuits whereby they are closely placed together connecting short circuits and electrical discharge.
- Ultra-thin/Lightweight: parylene Coating Service Providers can decrease to 0.1 microns thickness and adds insignificant mass or bulk to the end product. This is vital in those applications that have weight and size as a crucial factor; e.g. aerospace or wearable technology.
- Biocompatible and Biostable: This is likely one of Parylene most impressive characteristics of being biocompatible. It is inert and non-toxic and will leave no reaction in human tissue and bodily fluids. This is what makes it a favorite material being used in implantable medical devices.
Summing it all up, as we go further and higher into the field of technology we will need to be able to protect and guard against threats with greater and high tech solutions to ensure security. Parylene coating is an outstanding component that comes with unrivaled strength, thinness, and adaptability. It helps to give this protection invisible to the naked eye yet invincible by protecting our most important electronic and medical equipment so that it can consequently work faultlessly and thus protecting human health.
