Abstract: In a system based on aluminum, zirconium and nitrogen at least one layer has covalent bonds of aluminum nitride or at least one layer has bonds of the aluminum nitride and zirconium nitride type. In a process for producing such a system an electrical gas discharge is fired in a vacuum chamber such as essentially to form a noble gas-enriched plasma resulting in ionization of the metal elements. To form the nitridic layer nitrogen is continuously fed as a reactive gas into the vacuum chamber and pumped away so as to set a reactive gas partial pressure which is used for process control purposes. The use of such a system for producing a coating on a surface is also described.

Abstract: A method is described for applying coatings to objects by means of magnetic ield supported cathode sputtering in a vacuum, wherein, in order to achieve an improved coating rate, the total reactive gas quantity fed into a coating chamber is so measured that the reactive gas portion in the metal-reactive gas compound of the coating on the workpiece, is present in sub-stoichiometric relationship, and wherein the reactive gas flow in the chamber is conducted directly into the area of the workpieces to be coated, by-passing the sputtering cathode.