PVD Technology Research Articles

Widening the market for advanced PVD coatings

A recent report (Ref. 1) showed that, in spite of previous predictions to the contrary, the market penetration of PVD coatings relative to other coating methods is extremely small. The reasons for this lie in a number of factors of which cost is the main one, which is also related to the perceived unsuitability of these coatings for cheap substrate materials such as mild steel. The paper discusses the challenges facing PVD technology in overcoming the market barriers and highlights potential process solutions which exist to achieve the wider use of PVD coatings in industry, including plasma diffusion treatments and duplex coating combinations, e.g. of electroless nickel and PVD.

Multilayer PVD coatings for wear protection

The PVD technology is well suited to realize new and advanced coating concepts like gradient coatings, metastable coatings, multicomponent coatings, multilayer or superlattice coatings. Among these coating concepts the multilayer coatings seem to be the most promising concept because it meets many requirements (e.g. multifunctional character, moderate residual stresses, good adherence to metallic substrates, proper hardness to toughness ratio and low friction coefficients) for a composite exposed to complex wear conditions. Further the concept allows metastable and multicomponent materials to be introduced in a graded multilayer arrangement. By this way different layer concepts can be realized simultaneously. A functional and a structural design, taking into account the material selection for the individual layers, the adjustment of the interface volume and constitution and the optimization of the individual layer sequence and thickness, allows a tailoring of properties and performance. Covalent or ionic materials like B 4C, SiC, Si 3N 4 or Al 2O 3 can be introduced as intermediate layers in the multilayer arrangement, raising hardness and high temperature strength without reducing adherence or toughness of the coating. New results concerning constitution, properties and application characteristics for multilayer coatings mainly based on TiC/TiN are presented.

Multilayer PVD coatings for wear protection

The PVD technology is well suited to realize new and advanced coating concepts like gradient coatings, metastable coatings, multicomponent coatings, multilayer or superlattice coatings. Among these coating concepts the multilayer coatings seem to be the most promising concept because it meets many requirements (e.g. multifunctional character, moderate residual stresses, good adherence to metallic substrates, proper hardness to toughness ratio and low friction coefficients) for a composite exposed to complex wear conditions. Further the concept allows metastable and multicomponent materials to be introduced in a graded multilayer arrangement. By this way different layer concepts can be realized simultaneously. A functional and a structural design, taking into account the material selection for the individual layers, the adjustment of the interface volume and constitution and the optimization of the individual layer sequence and thickness, allows a tailoring of properties and performance. Covalent or ionic materials like B4C, SiC, Si3N4 or Al2O3 can be introduced as intermediate layers in the multilayer arrangement, raising hardness and high temperature strength without reducing adherence or toughness of the coating. New results concerning constitution, properties and application characteristics for multilayer coatings mainly based on TiC/TiN are presented.

An improved ion assisted deposition technology for the 21st century

In recent years technologies based on physical and chemical vapour deposition (PVD and CVD) have had a significant impact on the performance of a range of products including cutting tools, aircraft and automotive parts, decorative and electronic products. However, it is envisaged that further improvements in material properties and hence improved product performance will only be likely if these processes are modified to incorporate ion assistance. Preliminary results have shown that adhesion, hardness, structural, optical and electrical properties of the deposited coatings improve when ion-assisted deposition is used instead of conventional PVD and CVD technologies. The major general improvements are lower deposition temperatures and higher deposition rates, opening up many new applications previously considered outside the realm of this technology. As examples, to illustrate the improved technology, the deposition of Cd, Al, W, diamond-like carbon and TiN are considered in detail in relation to applications in industry. The relationships between the process parameters and the coating characteristics were also investigated. This process can be easily automated, is suitable for production use and is likely to produce a profound effect on manufacturing in the 21st century.

Hard coatings by plasma-assisted PVD technologies: Industrial practice

The historical background to the main plasma-assisted PVD processes is presented, emphasizing the methods in current commercial use for the production of hard coatings. Industrial practices with regard to cleaning and processing receive special attention.

ＰＶＤ・ＣＶＤ技術による薄膜のハイブリッド化

ＰＶＤ・ＣＶＤ技術による薄膜のハイブリッド化

半導体工業におけるPVD・CVD技術

半導体工業におけるPVD・CVD技術