A black member includes a base and a black layer laminated on the base. The black layer contains titanium aluminum nitride, titanium silicon nitride, or titanium aluminum silicon nitride. The black layer may also contain at least one type of elements selected from the group consisting of oxygen, fluorine, and carbon. When the black layer contains carbon, and assuming that a total amount of elements contained in the black layer is 100 at %, the black layer contains carbon of 10 at % or less. In a color evaluation according to an L*, a*, b* color system (CIE color system), the black layer satisfies L*48.0, 2.0a*3.0, and 3.5b*3.0.

A superalloy target wherein the superalloy target has a polycrystalline structure of random grain orientation, the average grain size in the structure is smaller than 20 m, and the porosity in the structure is smaller than 10%. Furthermore, the invention includes a method of producing a superalloy target by powder metallurgical production, wherein the powder-metallurgical production starts from alloyed powder(s) of a superalloy and includes the step of spark plasma sintering (SPS) of the alloyed powder(s).

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.

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.

To protect a superalloy substrate from oxidation and hot corrosion, disclosed herein is coating made by a process that deposits successive layers on the substrate, a first layer of aluminium and of at least one element capable of being alloyed with sulphur, and a second layer of a material that isolates the at least one element capable of being alloyed with sulphur.

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.

Techniques and devices including a biocompatible antibacterial film are provided. An example method for depositing a biocompatible antibacterial film using physical vapor deposition (PVD) includes providing a substrate in a PVD processing chamber, forming a deposited film by co-depositing a first material and a second material onto the substrate from a vapor plume, wherein at least the first material is biocompatible and at least the second material is antibacterial, and nano-texturing the deposited film to produce nano-scale surface asperities that provide at least one of inhibition of bacterial growth, promotion of osseointegration, promotion of epithelial attachment, or promotion of endothelial attachment.

Superalloy workpiece including a superalloy substrate and an interface layer (IF-1) of essentially the same superalloy composition directly on a surface of the superalloy substrate, followed by a transition layer (TL) of essentially the same superalloy and supperalloy oxides or a different metal composition and different metal oxides whereby oxygen content of the transition layer is increasing from IF-1 towards a barrier layer (IF-2) of super alloy oxides or of different metal oxides.

Embodiments relate to a sputter chamber with a configurable surface in communication with a target material. A control system is in communication with the chamber and functions to prepare an alloy film by changing a composition of the configurable surface. As ingress gas is introduced to the chamber to interact with the changed composition, the interaction causes a reaction that produces an alloy film.

A superalloy target wherein the superalloy target has a polycrystalline structure of random grain orientation, the average grain size in the structure is smaller than 20 m, and the porosity in the structure is smaller than 10%. Furthermore, the invention includes a method of producing a superalloy target by powder metallurgical production, wherein the powder-metallurgical production starts from alloyed powder(s) of a superalloy and includes the step of spark plasma sintering (SPS) of the alloyed powder(s).