Abstract: Installation for vacuum treatment, particularly of substrates, includes several identical independent and aligned modules. Each module is provided with a vacuum treatment chamber and a transfer chamber having a mechanism for transferring a substrate within one of the different chambers or from one chamber to another, the second chamber being located downstream or upstream from, directly next to, or separated by at least one module from the first chamber. A substrate can be transferred into one chamber in order to undergo a treatment while another substrate is placed in a different chamber for a specific treatment.

Abstract: Installation for vacuum treatment, particularly of substrates, includes several identical independent and aligned modules. Each module is provided with a vacuum treatment chamber and a transfer chamber having a mechanism for transferring a substrate within one of the different chambers or from one chamber to another, the second chamber being located downstream or upstream from, directly next to, or separated by at least one module from the first chamber. A substrate can be transferred into one chamber in order to undergo a treatment while another substrate is placed in a different chamber for a specific treatment.

Abstract: The metal alloy based on aluminium and titanium includes an aluminium content between 80 and 90 atomic percent and a titanium content between 10 and 20 atomic percent. The alloy is microcrystalline and outside thermodynamic equilibrium, the alloy is thereby resistant to oxidation and corrosion and has at the same time remarkable adhesion to polymer materials. The metal alloy can be in the form of a reflecting coating of a thickness ranging between 0.01 and 3 &mgr;m, covered with a protective film of a polymer material. A mirror having specular reflectivity not less than about 65%, good resistance to corrosion and oxidation includes a substrate of a polymer material supporting the reflecting coating.

Abstract: After preliminary treatment of their surfaces, the parts are brought into contact within a solution containing, essentially, protons, phosphate anions and cations chosen from Ca.sup.2+, Sn.sup.2+ and Mn.sup.2+. The preliminary treatment results in the formation, on the surface, of a layer that comprises, per 1000 atoms, at least 150 atoms of free iron and from 5 to 150 atoms of sulphur, and has a porosity defined by an actual surface area to macroscopic surface area ratio of at least 20. According to an embodiment, these surface characteristics are obtained by nitriding in a bath of molten salts containing sulphur-containing species. According to a second embodiment, these surface characteristics are obtained by nitriding in a bath of molten salts followed by a conventional sulphiding operation. According to a third embodiment, these surface characteristics are obtained by depositing metal, followed by a conventional sulphiding operation.