Technologies Available for Developement and/or Licensing

Sigma possesses a family of product and process technologies for a variety of end uses and applications.

DryFab Nanolayer Deposition

Sigma DryFab is a breakthrough technology that comprises the deposition and polymerization of nanolayer, multi-functional, radiation curable monomers and oligomers to modify physical and chemical properties of various material surfaces. Primary benefits of the DryFab Nanolayer deposition process include the following:

  • 100% Dry Process (no water or solvents)
  • Coating Thicknesses Ranging from 0.02 to 0.50 Microns
  • Process Speeds Ranging from 150fpm to 3000fpm
  • Pinhole-Free Coatings
  • Complete Encapsulation of Fiberous Substrates
  • Compatible with Other Vacuum Deposition Processes (Sputtering, E-Beam Evaporation, etc.) for Unique Multi-Layer Structures

Materials processed using Sigma's DryFab process can be modified to exhibit any (or a combination of) the following properties without impeding the bulk characteristics of the target substrate:

  • Oleophobic, Hydrophobic, and Alcohol Resistance
  • Chemical Resistance
  • Oleophilic and Hydrophilic 
  • Anti-Microbial
  • Moisture Resistance
  • Surface Levelling
  • Anti-Static
  • Anti-Fog
  • Many others..

Polymer Multi-Layer (PML) for Capacitors and Energy Storage Products

PML is an innovative a technology for producing high energy density capacitors with excellent thermal shock properties. Unlike conventional film capacitors, PML technology allows for the production of a capacitor with thousands of acrylate polymer and metal layers deposited in sequence on a rotating drum.  A "mother" capacitor strap is produced in a short period of time which, depending on size, may be segmented to thousands of individual capacitor chips.  The chips are terminated and can used in an SMD configuration or they can be encapsulated in a plastic package.

DiElectricPhoretic (DEP) Coating Technology for Nonwovens and Textiles

The deposition of very thin functional coatings on polymer films and fibrous substrates is a challenge when using low percent solids in aqueous or solvent based solutions and practically impossible when using 100% solids.  The challenge becomes even greater when coating fibrous materials such as paper, foam, and woven and non woven membranes and textiles with viscous solutions.

 Sigma has developed a proprietary environmentally friendly coating technology that allows fibrous surfaces to be uniformly coated with nano-thick relatively viscous monomers without the use of solvents or water. The coating process as shown in the schematic below, is composed of four separate and independent steps.

  1. An atmospheric plasma treatment station is used to enhance the surface energy of the substrat
  2. A coating module is then used to apply the coating onto the substrate.  Porous and fibrous substrates are best coated using ultrasonic coating techniques
  3. A dielectrophoretic station comprising a plasma generated electromagnetic field is used to spread the coating on the surface using an electro-hydrodynamic force, resulting from the differences in dielectric constants between the substrate, the monomer liquid and the air.  
  4. A radiation station is used to cure the thin liquid monomer (heat and/or UV, or ebeam).