Abstract: Coating method for arc coating or arc ion plating coating of substrates in a vacuum chamber in which using an arc evaporator solid material that functions as cathode is evaporated, during arc evaporation the motion of the cathode spot on the solid material surface is accelerated using a magnetic field for avoiding ejection of a large amount of macro-particles or droplets from the solid material surface, negative charged particles resulted from the arc evaporation flow from the cathode to an anode, characterized by the motion of the negative charged particles from the cathode to the anode fundamentally doesn't cause an additional increase of the absolute value of the potential difference between cathode and anode allowing a lower increment of the substrate temperature during coating.

Abstract: An ARC evaporator comprising: a cathode assembly comprising a cooling plate (11), a target (1) as cathode element, an electrode arranged for enabling that an arc between the electrode and the front surface (1A) of the target (1) can be established a magnetic guidance system placed in front of the back surface (1 B) of the target (i) comprising means for generating one or more magnetic whereas: the borders of the cathode assembly comprise a surrounding shield (15) made of ferromagnetic material, wherein the surrounding shield (15) has a total height (H) in the transversal direction, said total height (H) including a component (C) for causing a shielding effect of magnetic field lines extending in any longitudinal directions, establishing in this manner the borders of the cathode assembly as limit of the extension of the magnetic field lines in any longitudinal direction.

Abstract: An ARC evaporator comprising: —a cathode assembly, —an electrode arranged for enabling that an arc between an electrode and a front surface of the target can be established, and—a magnetic guidance system placed in front of a back surface of the target characterized in that: the magnetic guidance system comprises means placed in a central region for generating at least one magnetic field and means in a peripherical region for generating at least one further magnetic field, wherein the magnetic fields generated in this manner result in a total magnetic field for guiding the arc and controlling the cathode spot path at the front surface of the target, wherein the means placed in the central region comprises one electromagnetic coil for generating a magnetic field and the means placed in the peripherical region comprises two electromagnetic coils for generating two further magnetic fields.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a coating device comprising a vacuum coating chamber for conducting vacuum coating processes, said vacuum coating chamber comprising: —one or more cooled chamber walls 1 having an inner side 1 b and a cooled side 1 a, —protection shields being arranged in the interior of the chamber as one or more removable shielding plates 2, which cover at least part of the surface of the inner side 1 b of the one or more cooled chamber walls 1, wherein at least one removable shielding plate 2 is placed forming a gap 8 in relation to the surface of the inner side 1 b of the cooled chamber wall 1 that is covered by said removable shielding plate 2, wherein: —thermal conductive means 9 are arranged filling the gap 8 in an extension corresponding to at least a portion of the total surface of the inner side 1 b of the cooled chamber wall 1 that is covered by said removable shielding plate 2, wherein the thermal conductive means 9 enable conductive heat transfer between said removable shielding p

Abstract: A method for coating substrates in an arc vaporization source for generating hard surface coatings on tools is provided. The method includes providing an arc-vaporization source with at least one electric solenoid and a permanent magnet arrangement including marginal permanent magnets and a central permanent magnet. The method further includes adjusting the position of the central and marginal permanent magnets relative to the target surface in at least three settings, adjusting the strength of the generated magnetic field based on the position of the central and marginal permanent magnets among the at least three settings, and coating the substrates by an ARC vaporization coating process performed by the ARC vaporization source at each of the at least three settings.

Abstract: A device for cooling a target, having a component that includes a cooling duct and having an additional thermally conductive plate that is detachably fastened to the cooling side of the component, the cooling side being the side on which the cooling duct exerts its cooling action, characterized in that between the additional thermally conductive plate and the cooling side of the component, a first self-adhesive carbon film is provided, which is extensively and self-adhesively glued to the one side of the additional thermally conductive plate that faces the cooling side.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a target assembly which allows safe, fracture-free and economic operation of target materials with low fracture toughness and/or bending strength during arc evaporation processes as well as in sputtering processes. The present invention discloses a target assembly for PVD processes, comprising a target, and a target holding device (20), characterized in that the target (10) comprises a first bayonet lock and the target holding device (20) comprises a counterbody for the first bayonet lock of the target and a second bayonet lock for engaging the target assembly in the cooling means of the deposition chamber.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a component comprising a substrate coated with a coating having a film (3,4 or 3,4,5) comprising one or more transition metals, TM, aluminium, Al, and nitrogen, N, wherein the TM and N as well as Al and N are comprised in the film forming respectively nitride compounds, wherein the transition metal nitride, TM-N, is present in the film distributed in different portions exhibiting one crystalline phase of TM-N, and the aluminium nitride, Al—N, is present in the film in different portions exhibiting one phase of Al—N, whereas the phase of the transition metal nitride is cubic, c-TMN, the phase of the aluminium nitride is wurtzite, w-AIN, and wherein the film exhibits coherent or (semi-) coherent interfaces between the c-TMN phase portions and the w-AI-N phase portions.

Abstract: Reactive sputtering in which, by ion bombardment, material is ejected from the surface of a target and transitions to the gas phase. Negative voltage pulses are applied to the target to establish electric current having a current density greater than 0.5 A/cm2 at the target surface, such that the material transitioning to the gas phase is ionized. Reactive gas flow is established and reacts with the material of the target surface. Voltage pulse duration is such that, during the pulse, the target surface where the current flows is at least partly covered most of the time with a compound composed of reactive gas and target material and, consequently, the target surface is in a first intermediate state, and this covering is smaller at the end of the voltage pulse than at the start and, consequently, the target surface is in a second intermediate state at the end of the voltage pulse.

Abstract: Plasma etch-cleaning of substrates is performed by means of a plasma discharge arrangement comprising an electron source cathode (5) and an anode arrangement (7). The anode arrangement (7) comprises on one hand an anode electrode (9) and on the other hand and electrically isolated therefrom a confinement (11). The confinement (11) has an opening (13) directed towards an area (S) of a substrate (21) to be cleaned. The electron source cathode (5) and the anode electrode (9) are electrically supplied by a supply circuit with a supply source (19). The circuit is operated electrically floating.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for determining the reactive gas consumption in a coating process using plasma, comprising the following steps: a) admitting reactive gas into a coating chamber, wherein the corresponding reactive gas flow is measured and, at the same time, the partial pressure prevailing in the coating chamber is measured, without igniting a plasma; b) admitting reactive gas into a coating chamber, wherein the corresponding reactive gas flow is measured and, at the same time, the partial pressure prevailing in the coating chamber is measured, wherein a plasma is ignited.

Abstract: A workpiece having a coating which has at least one TiB2 layer, characterized in that the TiB2 layers have a texture, in the XRD-spectrum, which leads to significant peaks which display a pronounced (002) orientation. The invention also relates to a method for producing said type of workpiece with a coating.

Abstract: The invention relates to method for applying a coating having at least one TiCN layer to a surface of a substrate to be coated by means of HiPIMS, wherein, to deposit the at least one TiCN layer, at least one Ti target is used as the Ti source for producing the TiCN layer, said target being sputtered in a reactive atmosphere by means of a HiPIMS process in a coating chamber, wherein, to reduce growth defects during the deposition of the at least one TiCN layer, the reactive atmosphere comprises one inert gas, preferably argon, and at least nitrogen gas as the reactive gas, wherein, to reduce growth defects during deposition of the at least one TiCN layer, the reactive atmosphere additionally contains, as a second reactive gas, a gas containing carbon, preferable CH4, used as the source of carbon to produce the TiCN layer wherein, while depositing the TiCN layer, a bipolar bias voltage is applied to the substrate to be coated, or at least one graphite target is used as the source of carbon for producing the

Abstract: The invention relates to an arc deposition device, comprising a cathode, an anode, as well as a voltage source for putting the anode at positive potential relative to the cathode. The device also comprises magnetic elements, which cause a magnetic field over the cathode surface, wherein the anode is arranged in the vicinity of the cathode in such a way that the magnetic field lines exiting from the cathode surface hit the anode.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a sputtering arrangement, a vacuum coating system, and a method for carrying out HiPIMS coating methods; the sputtering arrangement has at least two different interconnection possibilities and the switch to the second interconnection possibility, in which two sputtering sub-assemblies are operated simultaneously with high power pulses, achieves a productivity gain.

Abstract: A target, in particular a sputtering target, includes a target plate of a brittle material and a back plate. The back plate is connected to the target plate over an area and the target plate has micro cracks which pass through from the front side to the rear side of the target plate and divide the target plate into adjacent fragments. A process is also provided for producing such a target which is suitable, in particular, for the use of extremely high power densities. A vacuum coating process uses at least one such target as a sputtering target and as a result particularly high power densities can be used on the target during the sputtering.

Abstract: The invention relates to a coating chamber (1) for performing a vacuum-assisted coating process, in particular PVD or CVD or electric arc coating chamber or hybrid coating chamber. The coating chamber (1) comprises a heat shield (3, 31, 32, 33), which is arranged on a temperature-controllable chamber wall (2) of the coating chamber (1) and is intended for adjusting an exchange of a predeterminable amount of thermal radiation between the heat shield (3, 31, 32, 33) and the temperature-controllable chamber wall (2).

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for coating substrates by sputtering of target material, the method comprising the following steps: —applying a first sputtering target made of a first material in a coating chamber to a power pulse by which, during a first time interval, a first amount of energy is transmitted to the sputtering target, wherein the maximum power density exceeds 50 W/cm2 and preferably 500 W/cm2; —applying a second sputtering target made of a second material that is different from the first material in the coating chamber to a power pulse by which, during a second time interval, a second amount of energy is transmitted to the sputtering target, wherein the maximum power density exceeds 50 W/cm2 and preferably 500 W/cm2, characterized in that the first amount of energy differs from the second amount of energy.

Abstract: A method for coating workpieces includes the following steps: charging a coating chamber with the workpieces to be coated; closing and evacuating the coating chamber to a predetermined process pressure, starting a coating source, which comprises a target as a material source, whereby particles are accelerated from the surface of the target toward substrates, characterized in that until the target has been conditioned a shield is provided between the target surface and the substrate, wherein meanwhile the substrates to be coated are at least partially subjected to a pretreatment.

Abstract: A plasma generating device includes a plasma source having a plasma source hollow body (1) and an electron emission unit (5) for emitting free electrons into the plasma source hollow body. The plasma source hollow body (1) has a first gas inlet (7a) and a plasma source opening (10) which forms an opening to a vacuum chamber. An anode has an anode hollow body (2). The anode hollow body (2) has a second gas inlet (7b) and an anode opening (11) which forms an opening to the vacuum chamber, and a voltage source (8) the negative pole of which is connected to the electron emission unit (5) and the positive pole of which is connected to the anode hollow body (2). The positive pole of the voltage source (8) is electrically connected by a first shunt (6a) to the plasma source hollow body.