A process for coating a substrate with tantalum nitride by the high-power impulse magnetron sputtering technique, wherein a tantalum target is used and wherein the coating of the substrate is carried out in an atmosphere containing nitrogen, the bias of the target being controlled during the coating by imposing on it the superposition of a continuous bias at a potential between −300 V and −100 V and of a pulsed bias whose pulses have a potential between −1200 V and −400 V.

A multilayer electrode on a substrate (10) comprising titanium (20) and titanium-rich titanium nitride (30) and titanium-poor titanium nitride (40), particularly suitable for the application to thermoplastic substrates, in particular for the purpose of the impedance measurement in aqueous biological media, and method for the production thereof.

Embodiments are directed to a method of forming a magnetic stack arrangement of a laminated magnetic inductor having a high frequency peak quality factor (Q). A first magnetic stack is formed having one or more magnetic layers alternating with one or more insulating layers in a first inner region of a laminated magnetic inductor. A second magnetic stack is formed opposite a surface of the first magnetic stack in an outer region of the laminated magnetic inductor. A third magnetic stack is formed opposite a surface of the second magnetic stack in a second inner region of the laminated magnetic inductor. The insulating layers are formed such that a thickness of an insulating layer in the second magnetic stack is greater than a thickness of an insulating layer in the first magnetic stack.

A coated tool according to the present disclosure includes a base member and a coating layer located on the base member. The coating layer includes a first peak located in a range of 0° to 90° and a second peak located at a higher angle side than the first peak in a distribution of X-ray intensity indicated at α axis of a pole figure, the X-ray intensity regarding a plane of the cubic crystal. The coating layer further includes a valley part between the first peak and the second peak, and the valley part includes the X-ray intensity smaller than the X-ray intensity at each of the first peak and the second peak.

A coated tool according to the present disclosure includes a base member and a coating layer located on the base member. The coating layer includes a first peak located in a range of 15° to 30° and a second peak located in a range of 60° to 75° in a distribution of X-ray intensity indicated at a axis of a pole figure, the X-ray intensity regarding a plane of the cubic crystal. The coating layer includes a valley part between the first peak and the second peak, and the valley part includes the X-ray intensity smaller than the X-ray intensity at each of the first peak and the second peak. The X-ray intensity at the first peak is 0.7 times or greater of the X-ray intensity at the second peak.

Atomic diffusion bonding is carried out using a bonding film comprising a nitride formed at a bonding surface. Operating in a vacuum chamber, a bonding film comprising a nitride is formed on each of flat surfaces of two substrates that each have the flat surface, and, by overlapping the two substrates so the bonding films formed on the two substrates are in contact with each other, the two substrates are joined by the generation of atomic diffusion at a bonding interface between the bonding films.

Provided is an aluminum nitride film in which, aluminum nitride crystal grains containing a metal element differing from aluminum and substituting for aluminum are main crystal grains of a polycrystalline film formed of crystal grains, and a concentration of the metal element in a grain boundary between the aluminum nitride crystal grains in at least one region of first and second regions corresponding to both end portions of the polycrystalline film in a film thickness direction of the polycrystalline film is higher than a concentration of the metal element in a center region of the aluminum nitride crystal grain in the at least one region, and is higher than a concentration of the metal element in a grain boundary between the aluminum nitride crystal grains in a third region located between the first region and the second region in the film thickness direction of the polycrystalline film.

An unchamfered piston ring that is pre-treated by grit blasting to a defined roughness, followed by PVD coating with a metal nitride to a thickness of at least 10 μm, leaving peaks and valleys in the coated piston ring. The coated piston ring is then lapped to remove the peaks without penetrating the coating, so that valleys and plateaus remain in the coated surface. The resulting piston ring exhibits superior coating retention due to the increased surface area created by the grit blasting, and yet also superior performance, as the cavities remaining increase the porosity of the coating and thus enhance the lubrication of the ring.

A method for structuring an anti-counterfeit marking (18) in the thickness of an object (1) made from an at least partially transparent amorphous, semi-crystalline or crystalline material, the at least partially transparent object (1) comprising a top surface (2) and a bottom surface (4) which extends at a distance from the top surface (2).

A coated tool includes a base and a coating layer on the base. The coating layer includes a first layer including Al.sub.2O.sub.3 particles, and a second layer on the first layer. The second layer includes, sequentially from the base, a first film, a second film in contact with the first film, and a third film in contact with the second film. The first to third films individually include Ti. The first film, the second film and the third film individually include at least one kind selected from C and N. The coated tool satisfies a relationship of a first N content>a third N content>a second N content, in which the first N content is an N content in the first film, the second N content is an N content in the second film, and the third N content is an N content in the third film.