Apparatus for gas phase deposition of coatings

An apparatus useful for simultaneously coating the internal and external surfaces of a plurality of hollow articles, comprising:

• (a) an enclosure having a manifold member therein to define a lower and upper chamber, the lower chamber being adapted to contain a first source of coating gas and the upper chamber being adapted to house the articles to be coated and to contain a second source of coating gas, the manifold member including connector means for connecting the interior of each article in gas flow relation with the lower chamber, said enclosure being adapted for insertion in heating means so that said first and second sources of coating gas can be heated for generating a first coating gas in the lower chamber to coat the internal article surfaces and a second coating gas in the upper chamber to coat the external article surfaces;
• and
• (b) carrier gas means for supplying a carrier gas to the lower chamber at a controlled flow rate, the carrier gas transporting the first coating gas generated in the lower chamber through the connector means and then into the articles at a controlled flow rate to deposit a coating of desired thickness substantially uniformly on the internal surfaces while the external surfaces are coated by the second coating gas generated in the upper chamber.