Process and apparatus for the production of carbide films at high rates by physical vapor deposition. The metal is evaporated in a vacuum chamber by an electron beam, the hydrocarbon gas is introduced into the chamber, and the metal vapor atoms and gas atoms are activated by electrons deflected from the electron beam to the reaction zone by a low voltage electrode at the reaction zone. The reaction takes place primarily in the vapor phase in the reaction zone, rather than on the substrate. A high reaction efficiency is obtained with the activated atoms and a deposition rate in the range of 1 to 12 micrometers per minute and higher is achieved.
A process and apparatus for plasma-activated electron beam vaporization is rovided. The vaporizing material from at least two vaporizer crucibles is vaporized with electron beams. An electric voltage is applied to the vaporizer crucibles in such a way that the vapor-emitting areas serve as electrodes of an electric discharge. The vaporizing material acts as a cathode or anode. The process and apparatus are preferably intended for the reactive coating of large surfaces and for the reactive coating of components, tools and strip steel.
In a process for the production of a high-hardness boron nitride film by vacuum-depositing a boron component on a substrate from a boron-containing vacuum deposition source and simultaneously irradiating the substrate with an ion seed comprising at least nitrogen from an ion-generating source, if the atomic ratio (B/N) between boron and nitrogen supplied from the vacuum deposition source and the ion seed is adjusted within a range of from 4 to 25, the ion acceleration energy of the ion seed is adjusted to 5 to 100 KeV per atom of the ion seed and vacuum deposition and irradiation are carried out in an atmosphere of a nitrogen atom or nitrogen compound activated at an energy level lower than that of the ion seed, the hardness and quality of the film are highly improved. Furthermore, if a negative bias voltage is applied to the substrate at the vacuum deposition and irradiation with the seed ion, the film-forming speed can be increased and the hardness and quality of the film are further improved.
A method for providing a titanium carbide coating on a carbon-containing substrate. Titanium is electron beam evaporated in a vacuum-pumped enclosed chamber, to form an evaporant stream. The stream is deposited, at least partially as titanium, onto a carbon-containing substrate, such as a tungsten carbide tool bit. The substrate is thereafter heat treated to diffuse carbon, which is derived at least partially from the substrate, into the coating to form titanium carbide.
A process is provided for the formation of metal and metal compound coatings on cutting edges by chemical vapor deposition in a deposition chamber, the improvement wherein a static electric field is established between the cutting edge and a counter electrode positioned in the deposition chamber, the field potential and gas pressure being such that glow discharge does not take place and the field potential additionally being such that a dense adherent coating is obtained.
An edged medical tool, such as scalpels and injection needles, is imparted with unexpectedly improved incisiveness by first providing a carbonaceous coating layer of 1 to 20 nm thickness having a crystalline structure of diamond by a method of plasma-induced vapor-phase deposition in an atmosphere of a mixture of hydrogen gas and a hydrocarbon gas at a microwave frequency of 1 to 10 GHz and then etching the thus formed diamond-like coating layer in a plasma of hydrogen gas to such an extent that the thus etched surface has a roughness of 0.5 to 5 nm.
