ICMCTF2007 Session G7: Advances in Industrial Deposition Equipment and Metrology for Coatings and Thin Films

Monday, April 23, 2007 10:00 AM in Room Royal Palm 4-6

Monday Morning

Start	Invited?	Item
10:00 AM		G7-1 New Instruments for Routine Quality Control of Hard Coating Mechanical Properties N.X. Randall (CSM Instruments, Switzerland) For more than 25 years, CSM Instruments has been developing dedicated instruments for measuring the mechanical properties of PVD and CVD coatings. With our extensive experience gained over the years, we have recently developed a new line of instruments which are intended for routine Quality Control (QC) inspection of hard coatings. Such machines are affordable, robust and simple to operate. We shall be presenting our 2 newest instruments, as follows: 1) Revetest Xpress Scratch Tester (RST Xpress): The scratch test consists of scratching a surface with an indenter or a ball to characterize the critical loads at which failure occurs. It can detect the acoustic emission, the friction force and the penetration and/or analyze through a microscope the critical failure mode encountered. The scratch analysis allows the user to determine and investigate the phenomena encountered along the length of the scratch, e.g., cracking, deformation, spallation, buckling, etc. The RST Xpress, based on our standard Revetest machine, is programmed by a USB stick system which makes it very convenient for shop-floor use and easy data transfer between users. The instrument naturally conforms to the latest industrial standards (ISO/EN 1071, ASTM C1624, JIS 3255, etc.) 2) Nano Hardness Tester Xpress (NHT Xpress): Based on our standard machine, the Xpress version offers the same high resolution nanoindentation principle on a simple and rugged platform. This is the ideal solution for hard coating manufacturers who need to regularly measure the hardness and elastic modulus of their thin films without any influence of the substrate. This fully-programmable instrument can run automated lines of nanoindentations and provide a statistical summary of results, all at the touch of a button. The presentation will introduce the technology behind these 2 new instruments and illustrate their use with practical examples of tests performed on a wide range of industrial hard coatings.
10:20 AM		G7-2 Advances in Industrial PVD-Systems Based on Vacuum Arc Evaporation, Sputtering and Its Combinations J. Vetter, G. Erkens, J. Crummenauer, V. von der Heide (Metaplas Ionon, Germany) To meet functional and decorative requirements, PVD surface treatments and the related coating devices are selected to be used in the daily mass production of tools and parts. For innovative tools and components increased load carrying capacities (mechanical loads, thermal loads, etc.), longer life time, higher performance and thus higher productivity, reduction of weight and friction and corrosion resistance are demanded. Most modern coating systems produced with coating devices of various designs and dimensions offer multiple solutions to meet these demands. Besides production relevant scalable systems, smaller sized advanced laboratory systems are needed to carry out basic research and to develop the next generation of high performance coating-substrate systems. Within the last decade, improved and new deposition techniques were developed in PVD and its combination with PECVD and thermochemical heat treatment. Different PVD methods and processes are required to generate optimized surfaces for different types of substrate materials (e.g. galvanized plastics, case hardened steels, cemented carbide etc.). Due to the developments within the PVD-systems it is possible to tailor the processes for different applications. Examples of vacuum arc coaters for industrial use and for R&D, for instance the combination of vacuum arc evaporation with RF-sputtering will be presented. Aspects of modern magnetron sources and vacuum arc evaporators are discussed. The combination of magnetron sputter processes with arc processes (AEGD) and PE-CVD will be demonstrated. Another interesting development is the industrialization of the thermochemical heat treatment in combination with the vacuum arc evaporation carried out in one cycle. Both the progresses in the PVD-systems and the related application potential will be illustrated.
10:40 AM	Invited	G7-3 Substrate Table Systems for industrial PVD Production S.E. Esser (4pvd, Germany) Advanced PVD coatings actually have the opportunity to enter new applications with markets much bigger than the established business. PVD coating of engine components is such an example. But the new applications come with higher demands regarding film thickness distribution, cost per piece or process stability. Common substrate table and fixture systems usually suffer from low utilization of the coating zone, non-uniformity of the thickness distribution, low repeatability and less integration into the production sequence. The present investigation analyzes the geometric limits and shows ways to maximize the utilization and optimize the uniformity of the film. The orientation of the substrate axle towards the evaporators as a main parameter for the coating quality is shown. Combined fixtures for cleaning and coating improve the efficiency on the production. But the share of these combined fixture systems in the PVD business is small. The paper shows designs, which suite for both process steps. The efficiency and reliability of substrate table systems has been improved by systematic analysis of the tribologic effects in the PVD furnace. The space and weight needed for the fixture systems could be minimized.
11:20 AM		G7-5 Innovative Equipment for the Production of Oxide and Nitride Based Coatings for Industrial Production W. Kalss, J. Ramm, J. Gwehenberger, S. Krassnitzer, O. Gstoehl (OC Oerlikon Balzers Ltd, Liechtenstein) Protective Coatings for hard and wear resistant applications enjoy a strong evolution. In recent years coatings based on AlTiN, TiAl(X,Y)N (X,Y = Si, Bo, Cr, etc..) and AlCrN were introduced. A last breakthrough was achieved by the introduction of Oxide based coatings. P3e^TM Technology (Pulsed Enhanced Electron Emission) is a new approach to the formation of alumina based oxide layers. This technology is implemented in the new Oerlikon Balzers batch type coater serving both as a production unit and as a development platform for oxide and nitride based coatings. An advanced etch process ensures high efficiency in material removal and reduces the time for the pretreatment. The system also includes an enlarged process window for Standard Nitride based PVD coatings. A comparison is given to conventional approaches for deposition of oxide based layers (sputtering, Twin MaG sputtering), and also the advantages of the new P3e^TM) and the enlarged process window is shown.
11:40 AM		G7-6 Rotating Arc PVD Cathodes - Five Years of Dependable High Performance M. Morstein, O. Coddet, A. Lümkemann, T. Cselle (Platit AG, Switzerland); B. Torp (Platit Scandinavia, Denmark); M. Jilek, M. Ruzicka (Pivot a. s., Czech Republic) Five years after their market introduction, PLATIT`s family of PVD coating units based on LARCÂ® and CERC® cylindrical rotating arc cathodes has well proven the power and versatility of this technology. The compact π⁸⁰ and its medium-size companion, π³⁰⁰, have since turned into a must for enterprises looking for highly productive hardcoating equipment covering an ample variety of applications. Being part of the MoDeC® (modular dedicated coating) concept, these units make readily accessible both high-performance nanocomposite coatings and versatile standard layers, on a single flexible platform. The family of PLATIT planar arc cathodes coating units has been expanded by the small yet powerful PL70, which offers unmatched low cost of ownership for SME`s. Tailored combinations of rotating and planar cathodes in one unit are being offered for special demands. In parallel, five years of nanocomposite coatings on the industrial scale have brought up new general purpose varieties of nACo® (Ti_1-xAl_xN/Si₃N₄) and nACRo® (Cr_1-xAl_xN/Si₃N₄). Novel gradient and multilayer architectures with an optimized silicon content, as well as coating combinations with CBC (DLC) such as nACVIC®, have become available. The presentation will outline examples of the successful integration of coating units into the production lines of SME`s and illustrate of the utilization of nanocomposite coatings in new, challenging application fields.