Chemistry: electrical and wave energy – Processes and products – Vacuum arc discharge coating
Patent
1992-07-29
1994-04-26
Weisstuch, Aaron
Chemistry: electrical and wave energy
Processes and products
Vacuum arc discharge coating
20419216, 2041923, 20429841, 427530, 427580, C23C 1432, C23C 1434, C23C 1448
Patent
active
053064070
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
METHOD AND APPARATUS OF COATING SUBSTRATES
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method of coating substrates in which the layer to be applied is produced by condensing particles of a plasma generated by means of a gas discharge which are incident on the substrates.
The invention further relates to an apparatus for carrying out the method.
2. Background of the Invention
The technology of surface treatment and the production of thin films has become extremely significant in recent years, particularly with respect to its industrial application. The numerous known vacuum methods for the production of thin films or for the treatment of material surfaces primarily include methods which relate to vaporization in furnaces, boats, and crucibles, etc. In these methods the vaporization takes place for example through electrical heating, or by electron bombardment by means of an anodic or cathodic arc, or by eddy current heating of conductive material in an induced AC field. Moreover, the large area sputtering of cathodes is known in various embodiments of cathode sputtering, with or without magnetic enhancement of the ionization in the DC or AC glow discharge.
In the known and customary ion assisted vaporization methods the kinetic energies of the atoms, ions and/or particles which are incident on the substrate are distributed such that the highly energetic particles create defects in the crystal lattice of the condensing layer which lead to compressive stresses and embrittlement of the layer, or trigger effects which lead to an undesired reverse sputtering or resputtering of the condensing layer. On the other hand, the incident particles of lower energy often hardly attain the kinetic energy required at the surface to ensure a homogeneous layer build-up. A particularly broad and therefore unfavorable distribution of the kinetic energies of the atoms and ions which are incident on the substrate is present with arc vaporizers in particular. Moreover, macroparticles, termed "droplets", frequently arise with the various forms of arc vaporizers and can be extremely disturbing if a corrosion resistant material coating is required, or if the coefficient of friction of the layer material is intended to be particularly low.
With cathode sputtering, the low concentration of ionized particles compared with arc vaporization is unfavorable, particularly in the direct environment of the substrates to be coated. This frequently leads to the condensing layers not being sufficiently dense, particularly when depositing layers of high melting point such as is the case with hard material coatings.
Moreover, it has been shown that layers deposited by means of cathode sputtering are inferior with respect to bond strength to those deposited by arc vaporization. On the other hand, with cathode sputtering, it is possible to precisely set the kinetic energy of the incident ionized particles in the range of some few electron volts, for example 10 eV up to 1000 eV and more, through a suitable choice of the negative substrate bias, whereas the majority of the non-ionized atoms have a kinetic energy which is typically smaller than 10 eV.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to develop a method which, on the one hand, ensures the deposition of layers which are as free as possible of defects and which are simultaneously well bonded, i.e. which are of high quality layers, and which, on the other hand, offers adequate possibilities for ideally and precisely matching the layer growth to the required circumstances through a suitable choice of the deposition parameters.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This object is accomplished in accordance with the invention in that both an arc discharge vaporization process and a cathode sputtering process are performed, with the arc discharge vaporization being carried out before the cathode sputtering; i.e. in the first phase of the coating process, arc vaporization is used and the coating is then continued or terminated by means of cathode sputtering.
As a result of the arc disch
REFERENCES:
patent: 4877505 (1989-10-01), Bergmann
patent: 5037517 (1991-08-01), Randhawa
patent: 5160595 (1992-11-01), Hauzer et al.
patent: 5234561 (1993-08-01), Randhawa et al.
Hauzer Franciscus J. M.
Munz Wolf-Dieter
Veltrop Hans
Wesemeyer, deceased Harald
Wesemeyer, heiress Beate
Hauzer Holding BV
Weisstuch Aaron
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