Physical Vapor Deposition, commonly abbreviated as PVD, refers to a category of coating processes conducted inside a high-vacuum chamber. The core principle involves transforming a solid material, the target, into a vapor phase and then condensing it onto the surface of a substrate, forming a thin, highly adherent film. Key PVD techniques include evaporation, where the target material is heated until it vaporizes, and sputtering, where atoms are ejected from the target by bombarding it with energetic ions.

PVD coating machines are sophisticated assemblies designed to execute these processes with precision. They primarily consist of a sealed vacuum chamber, powerful pumping systems to achieve ultra-low pressure, a substrate holder, and mechanisms for target vaporization such as cathodic arcs or magnetron sputtering sources. Advanced systems often incorporate plasma generation units to enhance coating quality.