Patent ID: 6599584
Filing Date: 2003-07-29
Classification: B05D,C23C

Abstract:
A method for making a coated plastic container possessing a gas barrier, the method comprising:positioning a plastic container within a vacuum cell, the vacuum cell maintaining a vacuum in the vacuum cell, the plastic container having an external surface; feeding one or more process gases into the vacuum cell, at least one of the process gases being a carbon-containing gas; heating and evaporating an inorganic coating material with an evaporator disposed in the vacuum cell to form a coating vapor; energizing the coating vapor to form a plasma; and removing the coated plastic container from the vacuum cell; wherein the plasma reacts with at least one of the process gases and deposits a thin coating on the external surface of the plastic container, the thin coating comprising carbon from the carbon-containing gas and inorganic material from the inorganic coating material.