Patent ID: 7736438

Claim:
A system for coating a tape substrate with a ceramic material, the system comprising: a) a vessel defining a vacuum chamber therein, wherein the vessel maintains the vacuum chamber at a pressure of less than 10 −3 Torr; b) a tape support assembly at least partially disposed within the vessel, the tape support assembly comprising: i) a drum rotatable about a longitudinal axis, wherein the drum is adapted to support at least one tape substrate axially disposed against a surface of the drum; ii) an annular stator, wherein the drum is disposed within the annular stator so as to create a space between the annular stator and the drum, the annular stator comprising: at least one slot cut therethrough, wherein the slot is axially aligned with the drum; a lip seal disposed around the edge of the slot and an end seal disposed at each end of the annular stator to allow the space to be maintained at a pressure that is greater than the pressure in the chamber; iii) at least one gas source, wherein the at least one gas source is in fluid communication with the space, wherein the gas source provides at least one reactive gas to the space; iv) at least one heating element disposed in at least one of the drum, the annular stator, and the space, wherein the at least one heating element heats the at least one tape and gases within the space; and v) a rotor drive coupled to the drum, wherein the rotor drive rotates the drum at a predetermined speed; and c) at least one metal vapor source disposed in the vacuum chamber, wherein the at least one metal vapor source provides a metal vapor through the slot to the at least one tape substrate supported by the drum.