Arc evaporation of hard coatings: Process and film properties

Abstract

This paper analyses the present status of cathodic arc evaporation of hard coatings. It describes existing arc evaporation methods, in particular those using cathode spots. Special attention is devoted to the possible suppression of the emission of macroparticles and their incorporation into growing films. The development of arc evaporators from random arc (RA) to steered arc (SA) to new fine spot random arc (FSRA) is also outlined. The FSRA evaporator represents a new class of arc evaporators which strongly suppress the emission of macroparticles. It is shown that, using arc evaporation, it is now possible to produce high quality hard films with a very low content of macroparticles. The reactive deposition of hard coatings is also discussed. Special attention is devoted to the formation of films with desired properties and to the production of uniform films on large and complex-shaped substrates. Film properties such as microstructure, texture, adhesion and incorporation of macroparticles are discussed. The effect of ion energy on film properties is also discussed. Finally, the present trends in the cathodic arc evaporation technique are outlined.