In 1995 -1999 a new way of magnetron sputtering was introduced. It was HIPIMS (high power impulse magnetron sputtering). The main idea of this approach is to apply short (~ 50-100 µs) high power pulses with target power density during the pulse around 1-3 kW/cm2. High power pulses generate high density magnetron plasma with high fraction of ions that allows significantly improve and control properties of the films for tribological, optical, electrical or other applications. Significant effort in terms of hardware (high power pulse plasma generators) design, plasma research of pulsed magnetron discharge and pulsed thin film deposition was applied during the last 15-20 years in order to bring this technology to a commercial level. Still there is a problem for HIPIMS reactive sputtering to generate a stable arc free (or near arc free) magnetron discharge particular for deposition of non-conductive films. The arc appears due to formation of the insulating layer on the target surface due to re-deposition. There are different ways to control arcs during the reactive HIPIMS process that depend on HIPIMS plasma generator design and capabilities.

The biggest applications of pulsed I-PVD technology could be directional sputtering processes to deposit metal (oxides, nitrides) into different sized high aspect ratio features (trenches, vias and etc.) for integrated circuit fabrication. For this application control of the ratio of neutral sputtered atoms to metal ions is very important.

The influence of the voltage pulse shape, duration and frequency generated by HIPIMS plasma generator on the process stability and properties of thin films for tribological, optical, electrical, semiconductor and other applications will be discussed

We have developed a sputtering process at industrial scale based on High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HiPIMS). In contrast to a conventional DC magnetron sputtering, the HiPIMS process provides a higher degree of sputtered metal species, enabling the deposition of dense hard coatings with superior mechanical properties. The better understating of the plasma properties and the comparison thereof with other deposition techniques, e.g. DC-sputtering and arc ion plating, contribute towards the optimization and the further improvement of the process.

HiPIMS is characterised by short power pulses with an extremely short signal rise time. The design of the coating equipment need to take this characteristic into account with regard to feeding the electrical energy into the sputtering cathodes and finally into the plasma. This paper will present recent results on the correlation of the hardware design of the machine and the coating process. Fundamental research about the efficiency of the pulse transfer and about methods to transmit an undistorted pulse shape and wave form into the process was done.

The end user of a cutting tool sets its focus to the properties of the coating and, most important, to the machining characteristics of the film. Examples and field data will show how the most up-to-date HiPIMS coatings boost both productivity and quality.

SEM images reveal a dense morphology of HiPIMS coatings. To this feature can be attributed that HiPIMS films combine high hardness and a relatively low Young’s modulus indicating a high coating toughness in a way most favourable for metal cutting.

Super smooth coatings, free from any droplets, and low compressive stress are the most beneficial characteristics of sputter coatings for cutting tools. The effective bombardment of the growing film with highly ionized species further improves the surface of HiPIMS coatings.

This contribution introduces a new generation of Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) coatings, deposited by cylindrical rotating arc cathodes technology. Based on the TripleCoatings^3® concept widely used for cutting tools since its introduction in 2007, the new QuadCoatings^4® combine the advantages of both conventional and nanocomposite high-performance coatings, using a novel unified architecture containing at least four coating zones.

The new high tech industrial coatings are applicable for a wide range of high-performance cutting tools dedicated to particular applications, yet provide an unmatched performance even in in difficult-to-cut materials.

Using the new high-power coating unit π⁴¹¹, QuadCoatings^4® can be produced quickly and economically even for small batches. One of the unit’s main advantages is the ability to produce QuadCoatings^4® at a high degree of productivity running all of the unit’s four cyclindrical rotating arc cathodes at the same time. In a configuration using preferentially pure metallic LARC^®- and CERC^®- targets, adjustments in coating architecture within the four layer zones, such as microstructure or stoichiometry, can easily be realized through the user-friendly π⁴¹¹ software interface. In adition, a superior coating adhesion is reached by combining the tube and virtual shutters to form the new LARC-GD^® option. This technology provides a very efficient plasma etching before coating starts, even on highly three-dimensional tool geometries.

Applications of several members of the new concept coating family will be presented, ranging from productive general milling to high-performance gear cutting, which was optimized using fast feedback from a model fly cutting test. Another case study will show how tool productivity can be increased by a dedicated QuadCoating^4® with carbon-containing top layer, successfully used for thread forming and tapping.

Manufacturers and end users are constantly confronted with complex problems that require more than a standard solution. Using novel technologies and processes, unique and dedicated solutions for current and future challenges can be provided. One novel holistic approach to tailored solutions is the use of the HI3 (High Ionization Triple) PVD process technology. HI3 combines several processes for the generation of layer-forming particles in a single coating system. HI3, the combination of HIPAC (High-Ionization Plasma Assisted Coating) sputtering technology, APA-Arc technique (Advanced Plasma Assisted) and AEGD (Arc Enhanced Glow Discharge) represents a hybrid holistic approach to fascinating new coating designs and architectures. The present work will highlight the HI3 deposition technique to apply novel and tailored micro alloyed hybrid coatings. Such coatings were analyzed by SEM, EDX, nano-indentation hardness measurement and tribological tests were performed. Oxidation tests were carried out at elevated temperatures. The HI3 films illustrate the technical potential for those applications where high thermal stability, high oxidation resistance and low friction are pre-dominant requests.