Abstract: A vacuum system for the treatment of work pieces has an evacuatable treatment chamber having a centrally disposed low voltage arc discharge arrangement and laterally disposed loading opening. A coupling device between the work piece support and a receiving device on the system side allows simplified loading and removal of the work pieces to be treated along with the support by simply lifting onto or lowering from the receiving device.

Abstract: The invention relates to an arc source or a source for vaporizing or sputtering of materials and a method for operating a source. The source comprises an insulated counter-electrode and/or an AC magnet system. Thereby, dependent on the requirement, any desired potential can be applied to the counter-electrode and/or the source can be operated with different magnet systems, in particular as arc or sputter source.

Abstract: A workpiece is manufactured using a magnetron source that has an optimized yield of sputtered-off material as well as service life of the target. Good distribution values of the layer on the workpiece are obtained that are stable over the entire target service life, and a concave sputter face in a configuration with small target-to-workpiece distance is combined with a magnet system to form the magnetron electron trap in which the outer pole of the magnetron electron trap is stationary and an eccentrically disposed inner pole with a second outer pole part is rotatable about the central source axis.

Abstract: To generate an especially good heat transfer between a seating face of a storage plate support and a storage plate, during coating with a sputter source in a vacuum installation, the seating face of the storage plate support is slightly annularly convexly arched and the storage plate is clamped in the center as well as on its outer margin by a center mask and an outer mask against the arched seating face. Hereby an especially good heat transfer is attained with very low arching d, whereby the storage plate is treated gently and simultaneously, during the coating process, no layer thickness distribution problems occur through arching that is too large.

Abstract: A workpiece is manufactured using a magnetron source that has an optimized yield of sputtered-off material as well as service life of the target. Good distribution values of the layer on the workpiece are obtained that are stable over the entire target service life, and a concave sputter face in a configuration with small target-to-workpiece distance is combined with a magnet system to form the magnetron electron trap in which the outer pole of the magnetron electron trap is stationary and an eccentrically disposed inner pole with a second outer pole part is rotatable about the central source axis.

Abstract: A device and method has a magnetron sputter source with a multipart target (3, 4) and movable magnet system (5). By variation of the power delivery of the power supply (6), specific areas of the multipart target (3, 4) can be preferably affected, which permits setting the stoichiometry of the sputtered-off target materials on the substrate (15) to be covered and positively affecting the homogeneity of the layer structure.

Abstract: To optimize the yield of sputtered-off material as well as the service life of the target on a magnetron source, in which simultaneously good attainable distribution values of the layer on the substrate, stable over the entire target service life, a concave sputter face 20 in a configuration with small target-substrate distance d is combined with a magnet system to form the magnetron electron trap in which the outer pole 3 of the magnetron electron trap is disposed stationarily and an eccentrically disposed inner pole 4 with a second outer pole part 11 is developed rotatable about the central source axis 6.

Abstract: A method of creating an undercut sidewall profile within an opening formed in a positive resist layer disposed upon a transparent substrate includes the step of forming a positive resist layer on the upper surface of the substrate, and optically patterning the resist layer by selectively directing light at the resist layer from above the upper surface of the substrate. The lower surface of the substrate is flooded with light to partially expose the lowermost region of the resist layer, and the exposed resist is dissolved to form patterned openings therein. The resulting sidewalls of the patterned resist openings have an enlarged width adjacent the upper surface of the substrate. The sidewalls of the resist layer are then flooded with light from above the substrate, the upper region of the resist layer is cured by an electron beam, and the resist layer is developed a second time to dissolve exposed portions of the resist sidewalls, thereby forming an undercut resist sidewall profile.

Abstract: A cutting tool is provided composed of a hard substrate having a PVD coating thereon having three layers. The innermost or first layer is composed of a group IVB (titanium, hafnium or zirconium) metal nitride. The middle or second layer is composed of a group IVB carbonitride. The outermost or third layer is also composed of a group IVB metal nitride. The PVD coating is characterized by high hardness and high residual compressive stresses.