Patent ID: 7968154

Claim:
A method for depositing a coating, said method comprising the steps of: introducing an atomised liquid coating forming material into an exciting medium in a vacuum chamber; said exciting medium is a plasma discharge and/or species generated by a plasma; said atomised coating forming material passing through the excitation medium; positioning a substrate in said vacuum chamber remotely from the exciting medium and means for generating the exciting medium so that the substrate and coating material applied thereto are substantially unaffected by the exciting medium and means for generating the exciting medium; and wherein said atomised coating forming material in the form of atomized liquid droplets is activated by the exciting medium to form chemically activated precursor species including any or any combination of monomer radicals, ions or oligomers to the coating, prior to leaving the exciting medium; and wherein after leaving said exciting medium said activated precursor species are subsequently deposited onto said substrate in a vacuum to form the coating.