SURFACE ENGINEERING DIVISION

Surface Engineering Division (SED) has been pursuing research in surface modification technologies for aerospace, societal, automotive and engineering applications. Envisaging the role of surface engineering in the future and realizing the importance of related activities in an aerospace laboratory like NAL, a separate unit, viz., Surface Engineering Unit, was formed at CSIR-NAL in the year 1996. The Unit was subsequently accorded a full-fledged divisional status and SED came in to existence in the year 2002.  During the initial years, with handful of people, activities of the Division were mostly on the metal finishing techniques. In the last two decades, the Division has undergone a significant change in terms of the strength, activities, projects undertaken and infrastructure.

 “Concept to commercialisation” has always been the thrust of the Division. Some of the major technological contributions of the Division include: development of highly polished aluminum mirrors for satellite applications, cost-effective “NALSUN” black chromium coating technology for solar water heating applications and nickel plating process for seal disc of nuclear reactors. Over the years, the Division has diversified its activities in to the niche areas of tribology, energy, nanoscale architecture, sensors, etc. For instance, the service-life of 55 HP Wankel engine has been enhanced with the deposition of wear resistant nickel-silicon carbide coating in the trochoid. A stable binary pressure sensitive paint has been formulated and validated as an alternative to the conventionally used discrete pressure taps. In the energy sector, a promising coating for solar thermal power generation exhibiting an exceptional thermal stability has also been developed. The activities on GMR based sensors have now evolved into a matured technology. Tape casting technology for the development of dense alumina and zirconia substrates has been transferred to industry. The Division also has expertise in eco-friendly chromic acid free anodization and sealing processes for the corrosion protection of aircraft aluminum alloy.

 

CURRENT RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

SURFACE ENGINEERING DIVISION1

SUCCESSFUL PAST TECHNOLOGIES IN THE AREA OF SURFACE FINISHING

 

Valued Clients, Sponsors and Collaborators 

 

  • Government Agencies: ISRO, DST, MNRE, BRNS, BARC, NMRL, DMRL, ADA, ADE, VRDE, HAL, BHEL, ARCI,   SSPL, DEBEL, GTRE, VSSC, DRDO, NRB, ARDB, MTRDC

  • Industries: Thermax, CUMI, TVS, TaeguTec, Jayashree Electron Pvt. Ltd., Esya Eng. Pvt. Ltd., Pricol, Sutures India Pvt. Ltd., AIP Pistons, Bhagyanagar India Ltd., Akonitech Pvt. Ltd., Nice Technologies

  • Academic Institutions: IISc, JNCASR, IIT Kanpur, IIT Delhi, BITS, VIT, NITs (Trichy, Calicut, Surathkal)

  • CSIR Labs: CGCRI, NML, NPL, CEERI, AMPRI, CSMCRI, CMERI, NIIST, CFTRI, IMMT, CSIO

  • Foreign Collaborators: NTU Singapore, University of Paderborn, Germany, Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films, Germany, National University of Science and Technology, Russia; University of Notre Dame, USA; Laboratoire PROMES-CNRS, France.

INTRODUCTORY VIDEO ON ACTIVITIES OF SURFACE ENGINEERING DIVISION, CSIR NAL, BANGALORE, INDIA

HEAD

Dr. Harish C Barshilia, FNAE, FNASc

CHIEF SCIENTIST

Aruna S T Dr

SENIOR PRINCIPAL SCIENTIST (2)

Meenu Srivastava Dr
Prasanta Chowdhury Dr

PRINCIPAL SCIENTIST (6)

Parthasarathi Bera Dr
Senthil Kumar S
Chakradhar R P S Dr
Lakshmi R V
Selvakumar N Dr
Shri Prakash Badi Dr

SENIOR SCIENTIST (2)

Jeevitha M
VENKATARAMANA BONU DR

SCIENTIST (3)

Bhagaban Behera Dr
Sai Pramod Dr
Indu Elizabeth.Dr

DEPUTY HEAD

Balaraju J N Dr

TECHNICAL STAFF (13)

Latha S
Srinivas G
Jakeer Khan G H
Siju
Balaji N
Manikandanath N T
Praveen Kumar V
Muniprakash M
Shanthi Swaroop S
Arun M
Ganesh M
Jaikesh S
Shri Duppalapudi Ramanamurty

Shri Prakash Badi Dr

His main research interest is in the area of nano-materials for energy storage/harvesting and studying the structure-property relations in these…

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Shri Prakash Badi Dr is working on Techniques

Shri Prakash Badi Dr is working on Facilities

Selvakumar N Dr

Dr. Selvakumar has 10 years research experience in the field of nanostructured solar selective coatings, nanolayered multilayer coatings, and…

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Selvakumar N Dr is working on Techniques

Selvakumar N Dr is working on Facilities

Senthil Kumar S

Mr. Senthil Kumar has expertise in high temperature solid state electrochemical devices. His major contributions are in the development of…

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Senthil Kumar S is working on Techniques

Senthil Kumar S is working on Facilities

Parthasarathi Bera Dr

Dr. Bera has expertise in the areas of heterogeneous catalysis such as CO oxidation, NO reduction, hydrocarbon oxidation and hydrogen production. He…

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Parthasarathi Bera Dr is working on Techniques

Parthasarathi Bera Dr is working on Facilities

VENKATARAMANA BONU DR

Dr. Venkataramana Bonu has expertise on semiconducting SnO2 nanostructures. He has also worked on synthesis of metal oxide nanostructures (quantum…

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VENKATARAMANA BONU DR is working on Techniques

VENKATARAMANA BONU DR is working on Facilities

Jeevitha M

Ms. Jeevitha’s research is concerned with nanoscale architecture and tribology of coatings. She is experienced in magnetron sputtering and plasma…

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Jeevitha M is working on Techniques

Jeevitha M is working on Facilities

Indu Elizabeth.Dr is working on Techniques

Indu Elizabeth.Dr is working on Facilities

Sai Pramod Dr

Dr. Sai Pramod’s expertise is in nano-multi-layer and nanocomposite hard nitride coatings deposited by Cathodic Arc Physical Vapour Deposition and…

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Sai Pramod Dr is working on Techniques

Sai Pramod Dr is working on Facilities

Bhagaban Behera Dr

Dr. Bhagaban Behera’s research interests are focused on utilizing micro- and nanotechnologies to develop innovative sensors and actuators. He has…

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Bhagaban Behera Dr is working on Techniques

Bhagaban Behera Dr is working on Facilities

Shri Duppalapudi Ramanamurty is working on Techniques

Shri Duppalapudi Ramanamurty is working on Facilities

Arun M is working on Techniques

Arun M is working on Facilities

Ganesh M is working on Techniques

Ganesh M is working on Facilities

Jaikesh S is working on Techniques

Jaikesh S is working on Facilities

Praveen Kumar V is working on Techniques

Praveen Kumar V is working on Facilities

Muniprakash M is working on Techniques

Muniprakash M is working on Facilities

Shanthi Swaroop S is working on Techniques

Shanthi Swaroop S is working on Facilities

Balaji N is working on Techniques

Balaji N is working on Facilities

Manikandanath N T is working on Techniques

Manikandanath N T is working on Facilities

Jakeer Khan G H is working on Techniques

Jakeer Khan G H is working on Facilities

Siju is working on Techniques

Siju is working on Facilities

Latha S is working on Techniques

Latha S is working on Facilities

Srinivas G is working on Techniques

Srinivas G is working on Facilities

Balaraju J N Dr

Dr Balaraju is working in the area of metal finishing and surface modification technologies. His fields of interest include development of hard, wear…

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Balaraju J N Dr is working on Techniques

Balaraju J N Dr is working on Facilities

Prasanta Chowdhury Dr

Dr. Prasanta is involved in the R and D activities on the development of magnetic sensors based on Giant Magnetoresistive (GMR), Anisotropic…

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Prasanta Chowdhury Dr is working on Techniques

Prasanta Chowdhury Dr is working on Facilities

Meenu Srivastava Dr

Her research is focused on the development of wear resistant composite coatings on aluminium alloy engine cylinders for unmanned aerial vehicle and…

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Meenu Srivastava Dr is working on Techniques

Meenu Srivastava Dr is working on Facilities

THIN FILM X-RAY DIFFRACTOMETER

THIN FILM X-RAY DIFFRACTOMETER

Thin Film X-ray Diffractometer

X-ray diffraction (XRD) is a simple non-destructive technique used to obtain detailed information about the crystallographic structure of m

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON THIN FILM X-RAY DIFFRACTOMETER

FIELD EMISSION SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY INTEGRATED WITH EDS/EBSD

FIELD EMISSION SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY INTEGRATED WITH EDS/EBSD

Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy Integrated with EDS/EBSD

FESEM is an advanced version of scanning electron microscope which produces 1000 times brighter image

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON FIELD EMISSION SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY INTEGRATED WITH EDS/EBSD

ELECTROCHEMICAL WORK STATION

ELECTROCHEMICAL WORK STATION

Electrochemical work station

Corrosion behavior of metals, alloys and coatings can be evaluated using electrochemical workstation by both AC and DC methods.

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON ELECTROCHEMICAL WORK STATION

BALL MILL

BALL MILL

Ball mill

Planetary ball mill is used for fine grinding of hard, soft, brittle and tough metallic, ceramic and composite materials.

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON BALL MILL

GRIT BLASTING FACILITY

GRIT BLASTING FACILITY

Grit blasting facility

Grit blasting is a surface treatment process widely used in industries for diverse purposes like creating roughness, removal of coating / burrs / r

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON GRIT BLASTING FACILITY

PARTICLE SIZE ANALYZER

PARTICLE SIZE ANALYZER

Particle size analyzer

The instrument is used for determining the particle size distribution and average agglomerated particle size of powder samples.

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON PARTICLE SIZE ANALYZER

SOFC TEST STATION

SOFC TEST STATION

SOFC test station

SED division has a 120 V and 600 W fuel cell work station, which is capable of testing different types of fuel cells such as SOFC, PEM etc.

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON SOFC TEST STATION

SOLAR SPECTRUM REFLECTOMETER

SOLAR SPECTRUM REFLECTOMETER

Solar spectrum reflectometer

In solar spectrum reflectometer, the source of illumination is a tungsten-halogen lamp.  The radiation reflected by the sample is measured at an angle of 20º

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON SOLAR SPECTRUM REFLECTOMETER

THERMO GRAVIMETRIC ANALYZER

THERMO GRAVIMETRIC ANALYZER

Thermo gravimetric analyzer

Thermogravimetric analysis or thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) is a method of thermal ana

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON THERMO GRAVIMETRIC ANALYZER

SALT SPRAY CHAMBER

SALT SPRAY CHAMBER

Salt spray chamber

Continuous salt spray or salt fog test is a standard test method and also an industrial practice used to evaluate the corrosion resistance of various b

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON SALT SPRAY CHAMBER

X-RAY PHOTOELECTRON SPECTROMETER

X-RAY PHOTOELECTRON SPECTROMETER

X-ray Photoelectron Spectrometer

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is associated with the analysis of the energy of electrons present in the atoms, molecules and com

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON X-RAY PHOTOELECTRON SPECTROMETER

EMISSOMETER

EMISSOMETER

Emissometer

Emissometer is a special purpose instrument to measure the emittance of absorber coatings used for the flat plate solar thermal collector, wherein the maximum

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON EMISSOMETER

NANOSCRATCH TESTER / TRIBOMETER

NANOSCRATCH TESTER / TRIBOMETER

Nanoscratch tester / Tribometer

Nanoscratch tester/Tribometer is used to carry out scratch test for testing adhesive strength of a coating and wear test to measure tribol

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON NANOSCRATCH TESTER / TRIBOMETER

ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY (AFM)

ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY (AFM)

Atomic force microscopy (AFM)

Atomic force microscopy (AFM)1

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY (AFM)

3D-PROFILOMETER

3D-PROFILOMETER

3D-Profilometer

A 3D-profilometer is used to study the surface features such as roughness, topography and flatness. The NanoMap3D contact profiler has both fine and coarse range scans.

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON 3D-PROFILOMETER

UV-VIS-NIR SPECTROPHOTOMETER

UV-VIS-NIR SPECTROPHOTOMETER

UV-VIS-NIR spectrophotometer

It can be used for studying the reflection and absorption measurements on solid samples, including semiconductors, films, glass, and absorbin

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON UV-VIS-NIR SPECTROPHOTOMETER

NANOINDENTATION HARDNESS TESTER

NANOINDENTATION HARDNESS TESTER

Nanoindentation hardness tester

Nanoindentation hardness tester is used to evaluate the mechanical properties such as hardness, elastic modulus, and fracture toughness of

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON NANOINDENTATION HARDNESS TESTER

MICRO RAMAN SPECTROMETER

MICRO RAMAN SPECTROMETER

Micro Raman spectrometer

Raman spectroscopy is a simple spectroscopic technique used for chemical phase identification of solid and liquid samples.

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON MICRO RAMAN SPECTROMETER

HIGH TEMPERATURE GAS JET EROSION TESTER

HIGH TEMPERATURE GAS JET EROSION TESTER

High Temperature Gas Jet Erosion Tester

The erosion tester is used to study the erosion resistance of surfaces when high pressure air jet of erodent particles is impinged at certain tempe

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON HIGH TEMPERATURE GAS JET EROSION TESTER

FOURIER TRANSFORM INFRARED SPECTROMETER

FOURIER TRANSFORM INFRARED SPECTROMETER

Fourier transform infrared spectrometer

FT-IR spectrometer is used to  obtain an infrared 

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON FOURIER TRANSFORM INFRARED SPECTROMETER

CONTACT ANGLE ANALYZER

CONTACT ANGLE ANALYZER

Contact angle analyzer

The instrument is a fully automated video-based system designed on Goniometric Method with Standard Ortho

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON CONTACT ANGLE ANALYZER

WEAR TESTER

WEAR TESTER

Wear tester

Pin on disc wear and friction tester is used to study the tribological properties like wear and friction behavior of materials/coatings in sliding contact.

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON WEAR TESTER

VIBRATING SAMPLE MAGNETOMETER

VIBRATING SAMPLE MAGNETOMETER

Vibrating sample magnetometer

Vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) is an instrument for magnetic properties measurement and is equipped with cryogenic facility.

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON VIBRATING SAMPLE MAGNETOMETER

CLASS 10,000 CLEAN ROOM

CLASS 10,000 CLEAN ROOM

Class 10,000 clean room

A 10,000 class clean room facility has been established for the fabrication of micron size devices on different type of wafers.

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON CLASS 10,000 CLEAN ROOM

VACUUM FURNACE

VACUUM FURNACE

Vacuum furnace

It can be used up to 2000°C for sintering various non-oxide ceramics. The furnace has the capability to maintain 10-3 mbar vacuum.

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON VACUUM FURNACE

TAPECASTING

TAPECASTING

Tapecasting

Tapecasting is an important ceramic processing technology in which ceramic suspension is cast as a thin or thick layer onto a flat surface using a doctor blad

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON TAPECASTING

SPRAY DRYING

SPRAY DRYING

Spray drying

Spray drying is used for preparing flowable powders.

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON SPRAY DRYING

CO-PRECIPITATION

CO-PRECIPITATION

Co-precipitation

Co-precipitation is a simple, economical and industrially viable technique that can be used for the synthesis of technologically important oxide material

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON CO-PRECIPITATION

ELECTRODEPOSITION

ELECTRODEPOSITION

Electrodeposition

Electrodeposition process is based on the principle of Faraday’s law of electrolysis.

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON ELECTRODEPOSITION

ELECTROSPINNING

ELECTROSPINNING

Electrospinning

Electrospinning is an efficient and convenient process for the preparation of thin fibers with diameters ranging from tens of nanometer to several microme

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON ELECTROSPINNING

PLASMA SPRAY

PLASMA SPRAY

Plasma spray

Atmospheric plasma spray facility is one of the important and most widely used thermal spray techniques.  In atmospheric plasma spray process, ceramic powder

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON PLASMA SPRAY

SOL-GEL PROCESS

SOL-GEL PROCESS

Sol-gel process

Sol-gel process is a versatile wet-chemical green technique for the preparation of various functional coatings.

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON SOL-GEL PROCESS

SOLUTION COMBUSTION

SOLUTION COMBUSTION

Solution combustion

Solution combustion process is a very simple, fast and economical process for the synthesis of all kinds of ceramic oxides.

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON SOLUTION COMBUSTION

MICROARC OXIDATION (MAO) FACILITY

MICROARC OXIDATION (MAO) FACILITY

Microarc Oxidation (MAO) Facility

Micro Arc Oxidation (MAO) or Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation (PEO) is an electrochemical oxidation process generally applied to Al, Mg and

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON MICROARC OXIDATION (MAO) FACILITY

ANODIZATION

ANODIZATION

Anodization

Anodization is a simple electrochemical process in which thicker oxide layers (2 to 30 µm) can be obtained on aluminium and its alloys in a s

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON ANODIZATION

ELECTRO POLISHING

ELECTRO POLISHING

Electro polishing

Electropolishing is reverse of electrodeposition process in which material is removed instead of deposition from the component by means of electrochemic

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON ELECTRO POLISHING

ELECTROLESS PLATING

ELECTROLESS PLATING

Electroless plating

Electroless nickel plating (EN) is a simple auto-catalytic chemical reduction process for depositing metals, alloys and composites.

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON ELECTROLESS PLATING

LAYER-BY-LAYER DEPOSITION

LAYER-BY-LAYER DEPOSITION

Layer-by-layer deposition

The automated layer by layer deposition system is computer controlled and enables deposition of different coatings with customized dipping speed

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON LAYER-BY-LAYER DEPOSITION

HIGH VELOCITY OXY FUEL (HVOF)

HIGH VELOCITY OXY FUEL (HVOF)

High Velocity Oxy Fuel (HVOF)

HVOF is a high velocity and low temperature thermal spray process used for depositing dense metal, alloy, carbide and cermet coatings.

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON HIGH VELOCITY OXY FUEL (HVOF)

COLD GAS SPRAYING (CGS)

COLD GAS SPRAYING (CGS)

Cold Gas Spraying (CGS)

CGS process is used to obtain coatings of soft and ductile metals such as copper, nickel, aluminium, zinc, tin and their alloys and stainless stee

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON COLD GAS SPRAYING (CGS)

MAGNETRON SPUTTERING (INCLUDING ULTRA-HIGH VACUUM)

MAGNETRON SPUTTERING (INCLUDING ULTRA-HIGH VACUUM)

Magnetron sputtering (including ultra-high vacuum)

Sputtering is a versatile physical vapor deposition process to fabricate a variety of metallic, oxide, nitride and carb

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON MAGNETRON SPUTTERING (INCLUDING ULTRA-HIGH VACUUM)

HOT-FILAMENT CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION

HOT-FILAMENT CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION

Hot-filament chemical vapor deposition

Hot-filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) is a simple and cost effective method which has been used to deposit a variety of ma

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON HOT-FILAMENT CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION

PLASMA ENHANCED CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION (PECVD)

PLASMA ENHANCED CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION (PECVD)

Plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD)

It is a chemical vapor deposition process which uses plasma for thin film deposition.

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON PLASMA ENHANCED CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION (PECVD)

PLASMA NITRIDING

PLASMA NITRIDING

Plasma nitriding

In this process the diffusion of nascent nitrogen inside the crystal lattice of a metal structure takes place leading to case hardening to increase the s

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON PLASMA NITRIDING

SCREEN PRINTING

SCREEN PRINTING

Screen printing

A semi-automatic screen printing facility is being used for the fabrication of SOFC electrodes and micro-heaters for oxygen sensor.

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SCIENTISTS WORKING ON SCREEN PRINTING

Last updated on : 16-11-2020 10:44:44pm