Abstract: An apparatus for the manufacture of at least substantially hydrogen-free ta-C layers on substrates, which includes a vacuum chamber, which is connectable to an inert gas source and a vacuum pump, a support device in the vacuum chamber, at least one graphite cathode having an associated magnet arrangement forming a magnetron that serves as a source of carbon material, a bias power supply for applying a negative bias voltage to the substrates on the support device, at least one cathode power supply for the cathode, which is connectable to the at least one graphite cathode and to an associated anode and which is designed to transmit high power pulse sequences spaced at intervals of time, with each high power pulse sequence comprising a series of high frequency DC pulses adapted to be supplied, optionally after a build-up phase, to the at least one graphite cathode.

Abstract: A metal doped carbon coating wherein the Me-doped C coating is for operation in boundary lubrication conditions, in which the metal is present in the coating in an amount of from 5 to 20% by atomic percent, i.e. the ratio of the number of atoms of the metal Me to the number of atoms of the carbon C does not exceed 1:4. The coating is made by pre-treating a workpiece surface by simultaneous bombardment of the surface with accelerated ions of W, Mo and C ions generated by a HIPIMS discharge in a treatment chamber. This is followed by deposition of a transition layer of metal and/or metal nitride of a thickness in the range from 20 nm-1000 nm thick by magnetron sputtering optionally in the form of or including HIPIMS sputtering, the metal being at least one of W and Mo. Thereafter a main layer the main layer of Me-doped C coating is deposited by HIPIMS sputtering.

Abstract: The invention relates to an object comprising a relatively soft carrier material, optionally, an adhesive layer and/or an adhesive layer system, which are applied to the carrier material, and a relatively hard decorative layer. The object is characterized in that an intermediate layer is provided between the carrier material and the decorative layer and/or between the adhesive layer and the adhesive layer system and the decorative layer and comprises at least DLC (diamond like carbon) as the main component. The invention also relates to a method for producing said type of object.

Abstract: An apparatus for the pretreatment and/or for the coating of an article in a vacuum chamber having at least one cathode arranged therein having at least one HIPIMS power source and also having a device which generates a tunnel-like magnetic field in front of the surface of the cathode, is characterized in that the device is designed in order to generate the tunnel-like magnetic field in front of a portion of the surface of the cathode and in that the device is displaceable relative to the cathode to allow the magnetic field to act in front of at least one further portion of the surface of the cathode. The device can consist of permanent magnets, which are displaced relative to the cathode, or of magnetic field generating coils, which can be movably arranged or stationary.

Abstract: A coating apparatus having a vacuum chamber, a plurality of cathodes arranged therein and also a HIPIMS power source, characterized in that in addition to at least one coating cathode which can be operated with the HIPIMS power source a plurality of etching cathodes is provided which are smaller in area in comparison to the coating cathode, with the etching cathodes being connectable in a predetermined or predeterminable sequence to the HIPIMS power source.

Abstract: A vacuum coating apparatus and method comprising a vacuum chamber, at least one pair of opposing cathodes, a power supply adapted to supply an AC voltage to said opposing cathodes to operate them in a dual magnetron sputtering mode, wherein at least one further cathode for PVD coating is provided in said vacuum chamber, characterized in that the at least one further cathode is a magnetron cathode and a further power supply is provided in the form of a pulsed power supply or a DC power supply is provided which is connectable to the magnetron cathode or arc cathode.

Abstract: A dual magnetron sputtering power supply for use with a magnetron sputtering apparatus having at least first and second sputtering cathodes for operation in the dual magnetron sputtering mode, there being a means for supplying a flow of reactive gas to each of said first (1) and second (4) cathodes via first (12) and second (14) flow control valves each associated with a respective one of said first and second cathodes and each adapted to control a flow of reactive gas to the respectively associated cathode, the power supply having, for each of said first and second cathodes a means for deriving a feed-back signal relating to the voltage prevailing at that cathode, a control circuit for controlling the flow of reactive gas to the respectively associated cathode by controlling the respective flow control valve and adapted to adjust the respective flow control valve to obtain a voltage feedback signal from the respective cathode corresponding to a set point value set for that cathode.

Abstract: A vacuum treatment apparatus (10) for treating at least one substrate (12) and comprising a treatment chamber (14), at least one cathode (16), a power supply (18) associated with the cathode for generating ions of a material present in the gas phase in the chamber and/or ions of a material of which the cathode is formed, a substrate carrier (20) and a bias power supply for applying a negative bias to the substrate carrier and any substrate present thereon, whereby to attract said ions to said at least one substrate, said cathode power supply being adapted to apply relatively high power pulses of relatively short duration to said cathode at intervals resulting in lower average power levels comparable with DC operation, e.g. in the range from ca.

Abstract: The invention relates to an object comprising a relatively soft carrier material, optionally, an adhesive layer and/or an adhesive layer system, which are applied to the carrier material, and a relatively hard decorative layer. The object is characterised in that an intermediate layer is provided between the carrier material and the decorative layer and/or between the adhesive layer and the adhesive layer system and the decorative layer and comprises at least DLC (diamond like carbon) as the main component. The invention also relates to a method for producing said type of object.

Abstract: A method for the manufacture of a hard material protective coating on a substrate consisting of a metal or of a electrically conductive ceramic material, e.g. a coated tool for use in a machine tool, or components exposed to high temperature wherein, prior to the deposition of the hard protective material coating, the substrate is pretreated by bombardment with metal ions of at least one rare earth element thereby resulting in implantation of some of said ions into said substrate.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for the plasma and/or coating treatment of workpieces comprising a chamber (2) that can be evacuated, a holding device (3) for the workpieces to be treated that is rotatably mounted within the chamber (2) and a plasma source (4). In order to create a device of the above mentioned type that enables the treatment of relatively great workpieces with respect to the size of the device, the invention proposes that the plasma source (4) is placed within the chamber (2), for which purpose the at least one cathode (5) and the least one anode (6) of the plasma source (4) are mounted on the upper side or lower side (7, 8) inside the chamber (2).

Abstract: An arc magnetron is described in which an edge magnet arrangement is displaceable in the axial direction relative to a preferably fixedly mounted center pole permanent magnet so that a cathode sputtering process and/or an arc discharge process can be realized in dependence on the relative position of the edge magnet arrangement and the center pole magnet.

Abstract: A high voltage rectifier with provisions for rapidly limiting or discontinuing the current flow in response to the occurrence of overcurrents and rapidly restoring such current when the overcurrents cease. The rectifier comprises one or more stages, each stage comprising a rectifier fed from a secondary transformer winding, a subsequent smoothing capacitor, a first switch serving as a direct D.C. converter for regulation of the output voltage, a choke and capacitor for smoothing the current and a second switch, activated by overcurrents, such that the smoothing chokes can be switched over by the second switch into a first recovery circuit wherein, prior to each switching off of the respective second switch the associated first switch is switched on for a predetermined period of time and then switched off.