# US 2019/0376181 A1 · Rotary Reactor for Uniform Particle Coating with Thin Films > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0376181 A1 - Document ID: US20190376181A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/438,371 - Filed: 2019-06-11 - Published: 2019-12-12 - Earliest claimed: 2018-06-12 - Assignees: Applied Materials, Inc. - Inventors: Colin C. Neikirk; Pravin K. Narwankar; Kaushal Gangakhedkar; Visweswaren Sivaramakrishnan; Jonathan Frankel; David Masayuki Ishikawa; Quoc Truong; Joseph Yudovsky - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190376181A1 ## CPC - C23C 16/45544: {characterized by the apparatus} - B01J 3/006: {Processes utilising sub-atmospheric pressure; Apparatus therefor} - B01J 3/02: Feed or outlet devices therefor - B01J 3/03: Pressure vessels, or vacuum vessels, having closure members or seals specially adapted therefor - B01J 4/007: {provided with moving parts} - B01J 15/00: Chemical processes in general for reacting gaseous media with non-particulate solids, e.g. sheet material; Apparatus specially adapted therefor (B01J19/08 takes precedence) - B01J 19/006: {Baffles} - B01J 19/0066: {Stirrers (mixing per se B01F)} - B01J 19/1887: {forming a thin film} - C23C 16/4417: {Methods specially adapted for coating powder} - C23C 16/442: using fluidised bed process - C23C 16/45555: {applied in non-semiconductor technology} - C23C 16/45578: {Elongated nozzles, tubes with holes} - A61K 9/5089: {Processes} - C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04) - B01J: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS - A61K: PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES (devices or methods specially adapted for bringing pharmaceutical products into particular physical or administering forms A61J3/00; chemical aspects of, or use of materials for deodorisation of air, for disinfection or sterilisation, or for bandages, dressings, absorbent pads or surgical articles A61L; soap compositions C11D) ## Abstract A reactor for coating particles includes one or more motors, a rotary vacuum chamber configured to hold particles to be coated, wherein the rotary vacuum chamber is coupled to the motors, a controller configured to cause the motors to rotate the rotary vacuum chamber about an axial axis of the rotary vacuum chamber such that the particles undergo tumbling agitation, a vacuum port to exhaust gas from the rotary vacuum chamber, a paddle assembly including a rotatable drive shaft extending through the rotary vacuum chamber and coupled to the motors and at least one paddle extending radially from the drive shaft, such that rotation of the drive shaft by the motors orbits the paddle about the drive shaft in a second direction, and a chemical delivery system including a gas outlet on the paddle configured inject process gas into the particles. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A reactor for coating particles, comprising: one or more motors; a rotary vacuum chamber configured to hold a plurality of particles to be coated, a cylindrical portion of the rotary vacuum chamber having an inner diameter, and wherein the rotary vacuum chamber is coupled to the one or more motors to rotate the rotary vacuum chamber in a first direction about an axial axis of the cylindrical portion of the rotary vacuum chamber; a vacuum port to exhaust gas from the rotary vacuum chamber; a paddle assembly including a rotatable drive shaft extending through the rotary vacuum chamber along the axial axis of the rotary vacuum chamber and at least one paddle extending radially from the drive shaft, wherein the rotatable drive shaft is coupled to the one or more motors such that rotation of the drive shaft by the one or more motors orbits the at least one paddle about the drive shaft in a second direction; and a chemical delivery system configured to inject a process gas into the plurality of particles, wherein the at least one paddle includes a gas outlet of the chemical delivery system to inject the process gas into the plurality of particles. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The reactor of claim 1, wherein rotation in the first direction is in a same direction of rotation as the rotation in the second direction. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The reactor of claim 1, wherein the gas outlet of the chemical delivery system is located on a trailing edge of the at least one paddle. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The reactor of claim 1, wherein a vacuum port is located in-line with the axial axis of the rotary vacuum chamber. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The reactor of claim 1, wherein the at least one paddle is a plurality of paddles configured to sweep along an entirety of a length of the rotary vacuum chamber along the axial axis of the rotary vacuum chamber. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The reactor of claim 1, wherein the at least one paddle further comprises an anti-static brush located between an outer edge of the paddle and in contact with the surface of the inner diameter of the rotary vacuum chamber. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The reactor of claim 1, further comprising a port to deliver particles to or receive particles from the rotary vacuum chamber. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The reactor of claim 1, wherein the axial axis of the rotary vacuum chamber is oriented horizontally relative to gravity. ### Claim 9 A reactor for coating particles, comprising: one or more motors; a rotary vacuum chamber configured to hold a plurality of particles to be coated, a cylindrical portion of the rotary vacuum chamber having an inner diameter, and wherein the rotary vacuum chamber is coupled to the one or more motors; a controller configured to cause the one or more motors to rotate the rotary vacuum chamber in a first direction about an axial axis of the cylindrical portion of the rotary vacuum chamber at a rotation speed such that the particles undergo tumbling agitation; a vacuum port to exhaust gas from the rotary vacuum chamber; a paddle assembly including a rotatable drive shaft extending through the rotary vacuum chamber along the axial axis of the rotary vacuum chamber and at least one paddle extending radially from the drive shaft, wherein the rotatable drive shaft is coupled to the one or more motors such that rotation of the drive shaft by the one or more motors orbits the at least one paddle about the drive shaft in a second direction; and a chemical delivery system configured to inject a process gas into the plurality of particles, wherein the at least one paddle includes a gas outlet of the chemical delivery system to inject the process gas into the plurality of particles. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The reactor of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to cause the one or more motors to rotate the rotary vacuum chamber about the axial axis at the rotation speed that is less than 6 RPM. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The reactor of claim 9, wherein the rotation speed of the drive shaft relative to the rotary vacuum chamber about the axial axis is less than 6 rpm. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The reactor of claim 9, further comprising a stationary vacuum chamber, wherein the rotary vacuum chamber is disposed within the stationary vacuum chamber. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The reactor of claim 12, further comprising a vacuum pump coupled to the stationary vacuum chamber and coupled to the vacuum port to exhaust gas from the rotary vacuum chamber. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The reactor of claim 12, wherein the chemical delivery system and the one or more motors are coupled to the stationary vacuum chamber. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The reactor of claim 12, wherein the rotary vacuum chamber further comprises a surface of the inner diameter of the rotary vacuum chamber having horizontal or angled baffles. ### Claim 16 (depends on 9) The reactor of claim 9, comprising a base to support the reactor on a mounting surface, and wherein the rotary vacuum chamber is secured to the base such that the axial axis will be perpendicular to the mounting surface. ### Claim 17 A method for coating particles, comprising: dispensing particles into a rotary vacuum chamber; rotating the rotary vacuum chamber along an axial axis of the rotary vacuum chamber in a first direction such that the particles fill a lower portion of the rotary vacuum chamber when the rotary vacuum chamber is rotating in the first direction; evacuating the chamber through a vacuum port in the rotary vacuum chamber aligned on the axial axis of the rotary vacuum chamber; rotating a paddle assembly in a second direction such that a plurality of paddles orbit a drive shaft; and injecting a process gas into the particles through a plurality of gas outlets located on the plurality of paddles. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, comprising coating the particles by atomic layer deposition or molecular layer deposition.