“Virtual PVD”: A Virtual Reality Approach to Explore PVD Magnetron Sputtering

Abstract

The physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) surface treatment process con-sists of numerous steps involving of multi-physical and multiscale phenomena. i These phenomena are beyond the ability of human perception in their entirety which is a scientific challenge for learning PVD. The present article proposes a Virtual Reality (VR) approach dedicated to the PVD process learning and a pro-totype is developed with different modules. The virtual immersion includes two modalities. One ex-situ, in the surface treatment laboratory, at a real scale (1:1), allowing users to explore the process, the machine components, and to experi-ment with technical gestures such as handling the machine door or installing sub-strate-holder rods inside. The second modality is in-situ, enabling the user to fol-low the process steps immersed in an environment inaccessible to humans and multi-scale. These experiments help to understand the physical phenomena oc-curring thro