Performance of a semiconductor device is improved. In one embodiment, for example, deposition time is increased from 4.6 sec to 6.9 sec. In other words, in one embodiment, thickness of a tantalum nitride film is increased by increasing the deposition time. Specifically, in one embodiment, deposition time is increased such that a tantalum nitride film provided on the bottom of a connection hole to be coupled to a wide interconnection has a thickness within a range from 5 to 10 nm.

A cutting tool comprising a substrate and a coating film disposed on the substrate, wherein the coating film comprises a first layer; the first layer has a thickness of 0.2 μm or more and 9 μm or less; the first layer is composed of Ti.sub.(1-x-y)Al.sub.xM.sub.yN, wherein M is at least one element such as zirconium; in the first layer, x and y change along the thickness direction of the first layer; a maximum value of x, x.sub.max, is 0.20 or more and 0.70 or less; a minimum value of x, x.sub.min, is 0 or more and 0.6 or less; x.sub.max and x.sub.min satisfy 0.01≤x.sub.max−x.sub.min≤0.7; a maximum value of y, y.sub.max, is 0.01 or more and 0.20 or less; a minimum value of y, y.sub.min, is 0 or more and 0.19 or less; and y.sub.max and y.sub.min satisfy 0.01≤y.sub.max−y.sub.min≤0.2.

A physical vapor deposition system includes a chamber, three target supports to targets, a movable shield positioned having an opening therethrough, a workpiece support to hold a workpiece in the chamber, a gas supply to deliver nitrogen gas and an inert gas to the chamber, a power source, and a controller. The controller is configured to move the shield to position the opening adjacent each target in turn, and at each target cause the power source to apply power sufficient to ignite a plasma in the chamber to cause deposition of a buffer layer, a device layer of a first material that is a metal nitride suitable for use as a superconductor at temperatures above 8° K on the buffer layer, and a capping layer, respectively.

A workpiece having a coating, said coating comprising at least one Ti.sub.XSi.sub.1-xN layer, characterized in that x≦0.85 and the Ti.sub.xSi.sub.1-xN layer contains nanocrystals, the nanocrystals present having an average grain size of not more than 15 nm and having a (200) texture. The invention also relates to a process for producing the aforementioned layer, characterized in that the layer is produced using a sputtering process, in which current densities of greater than 0.2 A/cm.sup.2 arise on the target surface of the sputtering target, and the target is a Ti.sub.XSi.sub.1-xN target, where x≦0.85. An intermediate layer containing TiAlN or CrAlN is preferably provided between the Ti.sub.xSi.sub.1-xN layer and the substrate body of the workpiece.

A method of fabricating a device including a superconductive layer includes depositing a seed layer on a substrate, exposing the seed layer to an oxygen-containing gas or plasma to form a modified seed layer, and after exposing the seed layer to the oxygen-containing gas or plasma depositing a metal nitride superconductive layer directly on the modified seed layer. The seed layer is a nitride of a first metal, and the superconductive layer is a nitride of a different second metal.

Provided are a metal nitride material for a thermistor, which has a high reliability and a high heat resistance and can be directly deposited on a film or the like without firing, a method for producing the same, and a film type thermistor sensor. The metal nitride material for a thermistor consists of a metal nitride represented by the general formula: Cr.sub.xAl.sub.y(N.sub.1-wO.sub.w).sub.z (where 0.70≦y/(x+y)≦0.95, 0.45≦z≦0.55, 0<w≦0.35, and x+y+z=1), wherein the crystal structure thereof is a hexagonal wurtzite-type single phase.

A method for producing a piston ring for a cylinder that moves in a sliding direction includes providing a piston ring base material having an upper surface, a lower surface and an outer circumferential surface having a first recess between the upper surface and the lower surface, forming a hard film in the first recess and on a cylindrical surface at a predetermined thickness, and removing, by performing a polishing process on the sliding surface, the hard film formed on the cylindrical surface and a part of the piston ring base material disposed adjacent to the removed hard film, to form a second recess. The second recess is formed by removing an area of the removed part of the piston ring base material as a result of polishing the sliding surface due to a difference in the hardness of the hard film and the piston ring base material.

The present invention relates to a method for producing a blade or blade arrangement of a turbomachine, which features the following steps: producing a blade (4) from at least one blade material, machining the blade in at least one region of the blade by a surface machining process, cleaning the surface of the blade depositing an erosion protection coating (10) of at least two layers of different hardness by physical vapor deposition in the at least one region, machining the erosion protection coating (10) by a coating smoothing process in order to establish a defined surface roughness.

Furthermore, the invention relates to correspondingly produced blades or blade arrangements.

An investment casting system includes a core having at least one fine detail, a shell positioned relative to said core, and a strengthening coating applied at least to the at least one fine detail.

A method of containing molten aluminum using non-wetting materials comprising depositing MgAl.sub.2O.sub.4, or one selected from an oxide, Al.sub.2O.sub.3, nitride, AlN, BN, carbide, and SiC, onto a crucible. An apparatus for containment of molten aluminum using non-wetting materials comprising a layer of MgAl.sub.2O.sub.4, or one selected from an oxide, Al.sub.2O.sub.3, nitride, AlN, BN, carbide, and SiC, deposited onto a crucible.