The reduction of material input, weight, costs and environmental impacts by the substitution
of plastics for conventional materials is an important objective in many industries. Films of
a thickness of less than 100 micrometers are particularly attractive substitutes. However,
in many applications, these films do not satisfied requirements.

Problems are :

• Insufficient mechanical strength, e.g. lack of scratch resistance,
• high permeability for glasses, water vapor, chemical and aroma compounds,
• low or no electrical conductivity, inadequate optical properties.

Many problems can be overcome efficiently by vacuum coating which is a process in which
a very thin functional layer is deposited on the susbstrate.

Together with manufacturers, the SPO has completed a wide range of film vacuum treatment
and coating projects, using different materials and processes. SPO offers the following
services to the industry;

• High rate electron beam vacuum deposition of new materials,
• Development of new vacuum deposition processes,
• coating of different substrates such as polypropylene (BOPP), polyethylene
  terephthalate(PET), polyamide(nylon) or polyimide (Kapton) by depositing metals
  (e.g. Al, Cr, Ti), semiconductors(e.g. Si, Ge) or oxides(e.g. Al2O3, MgO, SiOx,
  ITO and their mixtures),
• plasma treatment (using e.g.H2, CO2,N2,NH3 or O2 as reactive gases),
• Analysis and monitoring of treatment and deposition processes