Abstract: Embodiments of the invention include a method for manufacturing sensors and circuit structures. The method can include providing a substrate including a layer of polymer capable of producing graphite in response to the application of energy, a first electrode adjacent to a first via location on the layer of polymer, and an insulating layer over at least a portion of the first electrode and the layer of polymer at the first via location; and applying sufficient energy to the layer of polymer at the first via location through the insulating layer to ablate the insulating layer and to form a first via as mass of graphite that extends into electrical contact with the first electrode and is surrounded by the insulating layer in a plane of the insulating layer.

Abstract: The micromechanical clockwork part is cut from a plate-like silicon substrate. The cut edges of the part include portions intended to serve as contact surfaces arranged to slide against corresponding contact zones of another micromechanical part in a clockwork piece. The cut edges have a ribbed surface including an alternating set of ribs and furrows, the ribs and the furrows being straight and each contained in a plane parallel to the plate. Moreover, the ribs and furrows which the cut edges have form a stepped pattern on the cut edge, with first intervals in which the spacing separating the ribs from one another is equal to a first distance, and at least one second interval in which the spacing between the ribs is equal to a second distance different from the first distance.

Abstract: The cutting plate 12 includes a base body 22 made of a sintered hard metal. On a top side 23 of the base body 22 there are one or multiple intermediate layers 25 that include an adhesion-promoting layer 26. The adhesion-promoting layer 26 is made of a boron-containing nitride of a transition metal of group IV, group V, and group VI, and contains a plurality of small plates 31 oriented at an angle relative to the top side 23. A diamond layer that is grown on the adhesion-promoting layer 26 includes stalk-shaped crystals, oriented vertically relative to the top side 23, having an aspect ratio greater than three.

Abstract: A coated article includes a glass substrate supporting a coating. The coating may include, moving away from the glass substrate, a layer comprising diamond-like carbon (DLC); a layer comprising zinc oxide, wherein a concentration of OH-groups at a surface of the layer comprising zinc oxide farthest from the glass substrate is no greater than about 40%; and a layer comprising aluminum nitride on the glass substrate over and directly contacting the layer comprising zinc oxide. The DLC layer may be temporary, and designed to be burned off during heat treatment.

Abstract: Methods for making a nanocrystalline diamond layer are disclosed herein. A method of forming a layer can include activating a deposition gas comprising an alkane and a hydrogen containing gas at a first pressure, delivering the activated deposition gas to the substrate at a second pressure which is less than the first pressure, forming a nanocrystalline diamond layer, treating the layer with an activated hydrogen containing gas to remove one or more polymers from the surface and repeating the cycle to achieve a desired thickness.

Abstract: A coated device comprising a body, a coating on at least a portion of a surface of the body, wherein the coating comprises, a terminal layer, and at least one underlayer positioned between the terminal layer and the body, the underlayer comprising a hardness of greater than 61 HRc, wherein prior to the addition of the terminal layer, at least one of the body and the underlayer is polished to a surface roughness of less than or equal to 1.0 micrometer Ra.

Abstract: Method for coating micromechanical components of a micromechanical system, in particular a watch movement, comprising: providing a substrate component to be coated; providing said component with a diamond coating; wherein diamond coating is provide by CVD in a reaction chamber and during CVD deposition, during the last portion of the growth process, a controlled change of the carbon content within the reaction chamber is provided, thereby providing a change of the sp2/sp3 carbon bonds in the vicinity of the surface. Corresponding micromechanical components are also provided.

Abstract: A coating for cutting tools or wear parts has at least one crystalline SixC1-x-y-zNyMz layer formed by means of a PVD method and at least one hard carbon layer, which is diamond or DLC. Si and C are essential components of the SixC1-x-y-zNyMz layer and M is one or more elements selected from among Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Y, B, Al and Ru (wherein 0.4?x?0.6, 0?y?0.1, and 0?z?0.2). The SixC1-x-y-zNyMz layer has a half-value width of an SiC peak observed at 34° to 36° of diffraction angle when X-ray diffraction (XRD) is carried by using a CuK? ray is 3° or less. A method for forming the coating layer using PVD is carried out under certain temperature and substrate bias conditions.

Abstract: There is provided a method of making a heat treated (HT) coated article to be used in shower door applications, window applications, or any other suitable applications where transparent coated articles are desired. The method may include heat treating a glass substrate coated with at least a layer of or including diamond-like carbon (DLC) or other type of carbon, with a protective film thereon. In certain example embodiments, the protective film may be of or include a layer of or including SnOx prior to HT. Optionally, a release layer of a material such as zinc oxide may be provided between the SnOx and the DLC. Following and/or during heat treatment the SnOx transforms into SnOy (y>x) so that stress is created due to the SnOx to SnOy transition. Then, during quenching, stress relief may occur which causes the layer to buckle, creating cracks which may act as liquid channels that permit the sacrificial film to be easily removed via washing or the like.

Abstract: In a method of manufacturing a substrate and a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display panel, a conductive is formed on a base substrate, and a buffer layer is formed on the base substrate having the conductive layer. The buffer layer includes a polymer-like carbon thin film. An alignment layer is formed on the buffer layer. The alignment layer includes a diamond-like carbon thin film containing fluorine. A content of hydrogen in the polymer-like carbon thin film is more than that in the diamond-like carbon thin film.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for applying a tribological coating to a carbon composite substrate. The method includes providing the carbon composite substrate, depositing a layer of carbon on the substrate, applying a layer of aluminum on the layer of carbon, annealing the substrate at a temperature greater than a melting temperature of aluminum, and applying a layer of silver. A layer of mixed aluminum and silver may be substituted for the layer of silver.

Abstract: A method of creating adherent surface coatings on carbide cutting tools or other workpiece substrates through the development of polycrystalline diamond coatings or composite coatings comprising a refractory metal carbide and polycrystalline diamond is described. The coating is deposited through a sequenced chemical vapor deposition process, first using a specified gas mixture of hydrogen and a refractory metal halide to deposit a base layer of a refractory metal carbide. This step is followed by a second step in which polycrystalline diamond is deposited from a gas mixture comprising a hydrocarbon and hydrogen. Co-deposition of refractory metal carbide and diamond in the second step to create a toughened diamond coating is also contemplated.

Abstract: Chemical vapor deposition grown diamonds may be provided with one or more layers of doping to form colored diamonds. In one embodiment, layers of pink colored diamond may be formed by doping with nitrogen. In further embodiments, layers of yellow colored diamond may be formed by doping with boron. In some embodiments, the grown diamond has a single crystalline structure with minimal to no grain boundaries.

Abstract: There is provided a film formation apparatus for forming an organic compound film including a plurality of functional regions. A plurality of evaporation sources (203a to 203c) are included in a film formation chamber (210), functional regions made of respective organic compounds are successively formed, and a mixed region can be further formed in an interface between the functional regions. Also, when means for applying energy to an organic compound molecule to be formed into a film in a molecular activation region (213) is provided in such a film formation chamber, a dense film can be formed.

Abstract: There is provided a multilayer substrate comprising, at least, a single crystal MgO substrate, an iridium (Ir) film heteroepitaxially grown on the MgO substrate, a diamond film vapor-deposited on the Ir film, wherein crystallinity of the Ir film is that a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of a diffracted intensity peak in 2 ?=46.5° or 2?=47.3° attributed to Ir (200) analyzed by X-ray diffraction method with a wavelength of ?=1.54 ? is 0.40° or less. Thereby, there is provided a multilayer substrate that is delamination-proof at the respective interfaces between the MgO substrate and the Ir film and between the Ir film and the diamond film, and, particularly, that has a single crystal diamond film of a large area as a continuous film.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a film-formation method of a diamond electrode used in an electrolytic processing apparatus and other devices for treating water and waste liquid. This method utilizes CVD such as hot filament CVD including supplying a high-concentration carbon source to form a low-quality thick first diamond film (1) on a substrate at a high rate, and then supplying a low-concentration carbon source to form a high-quality thin second diamond film (2) on the first film at a low rate. This structure can prevent oxidation corrosion due to OH radical and can prevent entry of an electrolytic solution into the film, thereby enhancing durability of the diamond film. The thick first diamond film is formed at a high rate, and the second diamond film is made thin at a low rate. Therefore, a total film-formation time can be short, and a low-cost diamond electrode can be made.

Abstract: Synthetic monocrystalline diamond compositions having one or more monocrystalline diamond layers formed by chemical vapor deposition, the layers including one or more layers having an increased concentration of one or more impurities (such as boron and/or isotopes of carbon), as compared to other layers or comparable layers without such impurities. Such compositions provide an improved combination of properties, including color, strength, velocity of sound, electrical conductivity, and control of defects. A related method for preparing such a composition is also described., as well as a system for use in performing such a method, and articles incorporating such a composition.

Abstract: There is disclosed a die 1 for forming a honeycomb structure comprises: a plate-like die substrate 2 having at least two surfaces 8, 9, in which back holes 3 for introducing a green material are formed in one surface 8, and slits 4 communicating with back holes 3 are formed in the other surface 9; an underlayer 5 disposed on the substrate 2 so as to coat at least a part of a portion constituting the back hole 3 and the slit 4; an intermediate layer 6 disposed so as to coat at least a part of the underlayer 5 and constituted of tungsten carbide particles whose average particle diameter is 5 ?m or less and containing W3C as a main component; and a surface layer 7 disposed so as to coat at least a part of the intermediate layer 6 and constituted of diamond and/or diamond-like carbon.

Abstract: A high strength gear used as an element of a power transmission mechanism. The gear includes a base gear formed of an iron-based alloy subjected to carburizing or carbonitriding treatment. The base gear has an engaging surface with which an opposite gear is engaged. The engaging surface of the base gear is coated with a first diamond-like carbon film which has a hydrogen content of not more than 10 atomic % and a surface hardness ranging from 8 to 30 GPa in a nano-indentation test. Additionally, at least a part of the first diamond-like carbon film is coated with a second diamond-like carbon film which has a hydrogen content of not more than 10 atomic % and a surface hardness ranging from 50 to 90 GPa in the nano-indentation test. The second diamond-like carbon film has a surface roughness Ra ranging from 0.1 to 0.2 ?m.

Abstract: A method for making a magnetic disk comprises forming first and second protective carbon layers on a magnetic layer. The first protective carbon layer is predominantly SP3 carbon. The second protective carbon layer comprises about 50% or less SP3 carbon. The second protective carbon layer is very thin, e.g. between 0.1 and 1.0 nm thick. A lubricant layer (e.g. a perfluoropolyether lubricant) is applied to the second protective carbon layer. The second protective carbon layer facilitates improved cooperation between lubricant and the disk.

Abstract: A method for making a magnetic disk comprises forming first and second protective carbon layers on a magnetic layer. The first protective carbon layer is predominantly SP3 carbon. The second protective carbon layer comprises about 50% or less SP3 carbon. The second protective carbon layer is very thin, e.g. between 0.1 and 1.0 nm thick. A lubricant layer (e.g. a perfluoropolyether lubricant) is applied to the second protective carbon layer. The second protective carbon layer facilitates improved cooperation between lubricant and the disk.

Abstract: A hard carbon thin film formed on a substrate has a graded structure in which a ratio of sp2 to sp3 carbon-carbon bonding in the thin film decreases in its thickness direction from a thin film/substrate interface toward a surface of the thin film. A method of forming the thin film involves varying the film-forming ion species over time to produce the composition gradient or structural gradient in the thickness direction of the thin film.