Methods and apparatus for processing a substrate is provided herein. For example, a method for processing a substrate comprises depositing a silicide layer within a feature defined in a layer on a substrate, forming one of a metal liner layer or a metal seed layer atop the silicide layer within the feature via depositing at least one of molybdenum (Mo) or tungsten (W) using physical vapor deposition, and depositing Mo using at least one of chemical vapor deposition or atomic layer deposition atop the at least one of the metal liner layer or the metal seed layer, without vacuum break.

A method and an apparatus for cleaning and coating a metal strip wherein the metal strip is cleaned in a cleaning chamber connected to a deposition chamber and wherein the vacuum pressure in the cleaning chamber is kept in the range of 0.01-100 mbar and the vacuum pressure in the deposition chamber in the range of 0.01-10 mbar.

A method of repairing a worn carburized surface on a sprag clutch comprising the steps of: grinding the worn carburized surface of the sprag clutch to prepare the surface for metallurgical bonding; place the worn carburized surface in a PVD Cathodic Arc chamber; preheat the worn carburized surface to remove moisture and provide for a good metallurgical bonding surface; reverse sputter clean the surface to remove any surface oxide; apply a first coating layer using the PVD process to a maximum thickness; change the coating macro topology by polishing the coated surface; apply a second coating layer using the PVD process to a maximum thickness; and, grind or polish the coating to a desired dimension.

A tool includes a base body of hard metal, cermet, ceramics, steel or high speed steel and a multi-layer wear protection coating deposited thereon by a PVD process. The wear protection coating has a first coat deposited on the base body having a composition of TiaAl(1-a)N, wherein 0.4a0.6, and a coating thickness of 0.5 m to 4 m, and a second coat deposited on the first coat. The second coat includes a sequence of 10 to 80 first and second layers alternatingly arranged one on top of each other. Each of the first and second layers has a thickness of 5 to 100 nm. Each first layer includes nitrides of the elements Ti, Al, Cr and Si, and each second layer has a composition of TixAl(1-x)N, wherein 0.4x0.6. The first and second coats have up to 10 at-% of further metals, B, C and/or O as impurities in each layer.

A method of making an ordered crystalline product includes hot pressing amorphous carbon at an elevated temperature and pressure to form an ordered crystalline product.

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 phase difference element has a transparent substrate and a birefringent film with tantalum oxide and titanium oxide obliquely deposited on one surface of the transparent substrate. The birefringent film has a first photorefractive film and a second photorefractive film laminated to each other and having different oblique deposition directions. The ratio of titanium atoms to the total of titanium atoms and tantalum atoms in the birefringent film is 4.0 atomic % or higher to 30 atomic % or lower.

A high-sensitivity sensor containing cracks is provided. The high-sensitivity sensor is obtained by forming microcracks on a conductive thin film, which is formed on top of a support, wherein the microcracks form a micro joining structure in which the microcracks are electrically changed, short-circuited or open, thereby converting external stimuli into electric signals by generating a change in a resistance value. The high-sensitivity sensor can be useful in a displacement sensor, a pressure sensor, a vibration sensor, artificial skin, a voice recognition system, and the like.

Oxide coatings that reduce or eliminate the appearance of thin film interference coloring are described. In some embodiments, the oxide coatings are configured to reduce the appearance of fingerprints. In some cases, the oxide coatings are sufficiently thick to increase the optical path difference of incident light, thereby reducing any inference coloring by the fingerprint to a non-visible level. In some embodiments, the oxide coatings have a non-uniform thickness that changes the way light reflects off of interfaces of the oxide coating, thereby reducing or eliminating any thin film interference coloring caused by the oxide coatings themselves or by a fingerprint.

A press-forming mold has a protective film for preventing seizing during press-forming formed on at least a forming surface that comes into contact with a formed body. The protective film is formed by PVD. An arbitrary selection section extracted from the surface of the protective film is divided into a plurality of individual sections; and, when the gradient of the surface at the n.sup.th division point is represented by (dZn/dXn), taking N to represent the number of divisions, the root-mean-square Rq calculated by the following numerical expression is no greater than 0.032. $Rq=\sqrt{\frac{1}{N}\underset{n=1}{\overset{N}{.Math.}}{\left(\frac{d{Z}_n}{d{X}_n}\right)}^2}$ It is thereby possible to improve the seizing resistance of a press-forming mold having a protective film formed by PVD.