The invention concerns a turbine component, such as a turbine blade or a distributor fin, for example, comprising a substrate made from single-crystal nickel superalloy, and a metal sublayer covering the substrate, characterised in that the metal sublayer comprises at least two elementary layers, including a first elementary layer and a second elementary layer, the first elementary layer being arranged between the substrate and the second elementary layer, each elementary layer comprising a -Ni.sub.3Al phase, and optionally a -Ni phase, and in that the average atomic fraction of aluminum in the second elementary layer is strictly greater than the average atomic fraction of aluminum in the first elementary layer.

The invention includes miniature dots, miniature disks or miniature cylinders and methods of making the same by dispersing a particle in or on a dissolvable, meltable or etchable layer on a substrate, a portion of the particle exposed above a surface of the dissolvable, meltable or etchable layer; depositing a mask on the particles and the dissolvable substrate; removing the particles from the layer; etching an array of nanoholes in the substrate; depositing one or more metallic layers into the nanoholes to form an array of dots, disks or cylinders; and dissolving the dissolvable layer with a solvent to expose the dots, disks or cylinders. The dots, disks or cylinders can be included with two sets of microelectrodes for ultrahigh speed rotation of miniature motors, and/or can be designed with a magnetic configuration into miniature motors for uniform rotation speeds and prescribed angular displacement. The invention also includes modified diatom frustules, and miniature motors containing modified diatom frustules.

A novel physical vapor deposition (PVD) layer structure for chrome-look coatings on plastic substrates shows very good adhesion. The PVD coating is embedded in an organic UV cured base coat applied to the substrate prior to PVD coating and a similar organic UV cured top coat to protect the PVD coating and to adjust the gloss level. The novel PVD coating structure consists of different metallic layers such as i.e. chromium, zirconium and aluminum and a new adhesion layer consisting of silicon monoxide (SiO) and silicon.

An ion source enhanced AlCrSiN coating for a cutting tool is provided. The ion source enhanced AlCrSiN coaling has gradient Si content and grain size, including sequentially an AlCrSiN working layer, an interlayer and an AlCrN bottom layer in order from a surface of the coating to a substrate, wherein from the AlCrN bottom layer to the AlCrSiN working layer, Si content in the interlayer is gradually increased, and the interlayer has a texture that changes from coarse columnar crystals to fine nanocrystals and amorphous body. A texture of the coating, in which the grain size is gradually decreased, sequentially includes coarse columnar crystals, fine columnar crystals and fine equiaxed crystals. A method for preparing the ion source enhanced AlCrSiN coating with the gradient Si content and grain size is provided as well as a cutting tool having the coating deposited thereon.

An evaporation apparatus (100) for depositing material on a flexible substrate (160) supported by a processing drum (170) is provided. The evaporation apparatus includes: a first set (110) of evaporation crucibles aligned in a first line (120) along a first direction for generating a cloud (151) of evaporated material to be deposited on the flexible substrate (160); and a gas supply pipe (130) extending in the first direction and being arranged between an evaporation crucible of the first set (110) of evaporation crucibles and the processing drum (170), wherein the gas supply pipe (130) includes a plurality of outlets (133) for providing a gas supply directed into the cloud of evaporated material, and wherein a position of the plurality of outlets is adjustable for changing a position of the gas supply directed into the cloud of evaporated material.

A metallic structure includes a first plurality of metal particles arranged in an amorphous structure; a second plurality of metal particles arranged in a crystalline structure having at least two grain sizes, wherein the crystalline structure is arranged to receive the amorphous structure deposited thereon; wherein the grain size is arranged in a gradient structure.

A sliding member includes a base material, and an amorphous hard carbon film formed on a surface of the base material, in which a sp.sup.2 ratio of the amorphous hard carbon film increases from an inner surface side corresponding to the base material side toward an outer surface side thereof to become a maximum value and further decreases toward the outer surface side.

Provided are a friction reduced and wear resistant coating, a preparation method thereof and a piston ring. The coating includes an adhesive layer, a transition layer, a gradient layer and a function layer in sequence. The gradient layer is a CrMo.sub.xN layer in which Mo content progressively increases. The function layer includes at least one cyclical layer. Each cyclical layer includes a first CrMo.sub.xN layer and a second CrMo.sub.xN layer in sequence from bottom to top. The Mo content of the first CrMo.sub.xN layer is lower than the Mo content of the second CrMo.sub.xN layer. The coating provided by the present invention has a friction coefficient of 0.3 to 0.45, 10% to 30% lower than a CrN coating, and has an overall hardness of up to 1400 HV to 2600 HV and a thickness of 80 m, satisfying the required durability for the full lifecycle of the piston ring. The preparation process of the coating is simple and highly operable, and thus is convenient for industrialization.

The present disclosure relates to a coated substrate having a hard material coating, which comprises a hard carbon layer of the hydrogen-free amorphous carbon layer type, wherein the coating comprises a layer consisting of zirconium between the substrate and the hydrogen-free amorphous carbon layer; wherein between the layer consisting of zirconium and the hydrogen-free amorphous carbon layer, a layer consisting of ZrC.sub.x can be formed in which a zirconium monocarbide is formed; and the layer consisting of ZrC.sub.x and comprising zirconium monocarbide is applied directly to the adhesive layer consisting of zirconium.

A semiconductor material emitting device is positioned such that its output flux impinges on a substrate at a non-perpendicular angle, so as to grow a first epilayer which is linearly graded in the direction perpendicular to the growth direction. The linear grading can be arranged such that, for example, each row of pixels has a different cutoff wavelength, thereby making it possible to provide a spectroscopic FPA without the use of filters. The non-perpendicular angle and/or the flux intensity can be adjusted to achieve a desired compositional grading. A spectral ellipsometer may be used to monitor the composition of the epilayer during the fabrication process, and to control the intensity of the flux.