The present invention relates to a method for producing a neutron converter from boron carbide or a boron film on a neutron transparent metal substrate. The neutron transparent metal substrate is polished in a first step by fine grinding and coated in a further step by means of sputtering with boron carbide or a boron film. An adhesion promoting layer is optionally applied between the metal substrate and below the boron or boron carbide layer. The coatings obtained have a high homogeneity in layer thickness, chemical composition and isotope ratio as well as a low level of impurities such as oxygen or nitrogen.

Provided is a method that allows growing a single crystal of silicon carbide on an off-substrate of silicon carbide while suppressing surface roughening. The method for producing a crystal of silicon carbide includes rotating a seed crystal of silicon carbide while bringing the seed crystal into contact with a starting material solution containing silicon and carbon. A crystal growth surface of the seed crystal has an off-angle, and the position of a rotation center of the seed crystal lies downstream of the central position of the seed crystal in a step flow direction that is a formation direction of the off-angle.

A sliding element for use in an internal combustion engine may include a ferrous base having a peripheral sliding surface covered by a protective surface layer, the protective surface layer including at least one nitride applied via at least one of physical vapour deposition and a nitrided layer. The peripheral sliding surface may have a diamond like carbon (DLC) coating disposed thereon. The coating may include at least one of (a) one or more transition layers composed of WC1-x and (b) an adhesive layer of metallic chromium with a crystal structure. The coating may include an intermediate layer of metal DLC, the metal may be tungsten in a multilayer structure of a-C:H:W and a-C:H, and an outer layer of metal-free DLC.

A coated member, an electronic device, and a method for manufacturing the coated member are provided. The coated member comprises a substrate, a color layer formed on a surface of the substrate, and an interference layer formed on a surface of the color layer. A coordinate L* corresponding to a color space presented by the color layer in a CIE LAB color system is within a preset range. When the coordinates of L* are within the preset range, the color of the coated member may be the same or may be different from the color of the color layer. Light passes through the interference layer and then enters the color layer. The color layer reflects and refracts the light. The reflected light enters the interference layer. The interference layer interferes with the reflected light, so that the coated member appears to be a target color.

A method for preparing a bactericidal film on fiber cloth, comprising cleansing a reel of fiber cloth; placing the reel of fiber cloth into a vacuum chamber; supplying a DC power and a mid-frequency power; introducing argon gas to increase the chamber pressure to 0.3 Pa; position sputtering targets in the following order: silicon target, silicon carbide target, silver target, silicon carbide target, silver target, silicon carbide target and silver target, and then sputtering the targets simultaneously; wherein the silicon targets act as a bonding layer between the bactericidal film and the substrate; stopping the silicon targets, the silicon carbide targets and the silver targets first, and then turning off the argon gas; injecting air into the chamber until the pressure in the chamber and the atmospheric pressure are balanced.

A coated tool may include a base member and a coating layer located on the base member. The coating layer may include a plurality of AlTi layers and a plurality of AlCr layers. The AlTi layers may include at least one kind selected from nitride, carbide or carbonitride, each including aluminum and titanium. The AlCr layers may include at least one kind selected from nitride, carbide or carbonitride, each including aluminum and chromium. The coating layer may include a laminate structure in which the AlTi layers and the AlCr layers are alternately laminated one upon another. The AlCr layers may include a first AlCr layer and a second AlCr layer located farther away from the base member than the first AlCr layer. A content ratio of chromium in the second AlCr layer may be higher than a content ratio of chromium in the first AlCr layer.

The invention relates to a workpiece carrier device (1) for holding and moving workpieces (15), having: a workpiece carrier (2) for receiving workpieces (15), which is mounted on a main frame (4) so as to rotate about an axis (3); a drive part, which can likewise rotate about the axis (3) relative to the workpiece carrier (2); and multiple workpiece holders (5), which are arranged on the workpiece carrier (2) in a ring around the drive axis and are mounted on the workpiece carrier (2) so as to rotate about holder axes (6) which are spaced from the drive axis. The holder axes (6) run in such a way in relation to the axis (3) that the workpiece holders (5) form a conical crown arrangement (7). The invention further relates to a coating method using the workpiece carrier device (1) according to the invention and to workpieces or substrates (15) coated by means of the coating method (e.g, pins, pen injectors, balls, ball pins, pistons, nozzle needles etc.).

A method for preparing a SiC ingot includes preparing a crucible assembly comprising a crucible body having an internal space, loading a raw material into the internal space of the crucible body and placing a plurality of SiC seed in the internal space of the crucible body at regular intervals spaced apart from the raw material, and growing the SiC ingot from the plurality of SiC seed by adjusting the internal space of the crucible body to a crystal growth atmosphere such that the raw material is vapor-transported and deposited to the plurality of SiC seed. A density of the crucible body may be 1.70 to 1.92 g/cm.sup.3.

The present invention addresses the problem of providing a novel SiC epitaxial substrate manufacturing method and manufacturing device therefor. An SiC substrate and an SiC material, which has a lower doping concentration than said SiC substrate, are heated facing one another, and material is transported from the SiC material to the SiC substrate to form an SiC epitaxial layer. As a result, in comparison with the existing method (chemical vapour deposition), it is possible to provide an SiC epitaxial substrate manufacturing method with a reduced number of parameters to be controlled.

Systems and methods for adding a cap-layer to magnetic recording media are described. In one embodiment, the method may include depositing a magnetic recording layer over a substrate, depositing an interface layer over the magnetic recording layer, and depositing a carbon overcoat layer over the interface layer. In some cases, sputter deposition is used to deposit at least the interface layer. In some cases, oxygen is used as a background gas of the sputter deposition.