Cathodic Arc PVD Coater with cylindrical arc source

Ti/TiN/Ti (N, C)/TiC multilayer composite films were realized to deposit on different hardness substrates by ourself-made Cathodic Arc PVD coater of cylindrical arc source. The film is dark black and the refleivity is less than 14%, the brightness value is 3, less than 43, the deposition rate is about 0.78 um/h, surface distribution with more drop defes. The mechanical property test of the film deposited is greatly affeed by the hardness of the substrate and the thickness of the film. The harder the substrate, the thicker the film, the greater the hardness of the film and the binding force test results with the substrate. 0.82 um black hard film deposited on YW2 cemented carbide substrate demonstrates micro-hardness hv (25g) = 3229, with the binding force of 26.70N.

The application of cathodic arc PVD coaters to deposit TiC black hard film is a wide range of processes but the color is not deep. It can’t meet the high demands and requirements of decorative coating market. PVD coaters of cylindrical arc source has arc source of elongated cylindrical struure like a column. The use of a column arc source can perform in a relatively large range of uniform deposition under control in suitable magnetic field and the column arc source can also work stably with relatively all arc currents. These features of PVD coaters of cylindrical arc source make it possible to stabilize the deposition of TiC dark black hard film of rich carbon, with outstanding advantages of application in wide range of processes, the more color depth and high efficiency, etc, that have been successfully used for m industrial produion.

Please see photos of cylindrical arc ion targets and related PVD coaters here.

Alex Li