A method for producing a tool coated with a hard coating, the method including the following steps: applying a TiAlN coating layer onto a substrate with a first magnetron sputtering process and applying a Ti.sub.xSi.sub.1-xN coating layer onto the TiAlN layer with a second magnetron sputtering process, where x is smaller than or equal to 0.85 and preferably between and including 0.80 and 0. 70 whereas the second magnetron sputtering process is performed with power densities greater than 100 W/cm.sup.2 and as such is a HIPIMS process.

An electrically and magnetically enhanced ionized physical vapor deposition (I-PVD) magnetron apparatus and method is provided for sputtering material from a cathode target on a substrate, and in particular, for sputtering ceramic and diamond-like coatings. The electrically and magnetically enhanced magnetron sputtering source has unbalanced magnetic fields that couple the cathode target and additional electrode together. The additional electrode is electrically isolated from ground and connected to a power supply that can generate positive, negative, or bipolar high frequency voltages, and is preferably a radio frequency (RF) power supply. RF discharge near the additional electrode increases plasma density and a degree of ionization of sputtered material atoms.

Disclosed is a medical instrument coating, being coated on the surface of a nickel-titanium alloy component of a medical instrument. The medical instrument coating comprises an elementary copper phase, an amorphous titanium-containing substance and a transition layer comprising a copper-nickel intermetallic phase. Also mentioned is a preparation method for the medical instrument coating. A medical instrument comprising a copper-titanium coating has good blood compatibility, and simultaneously can inhibit the endothelialization of the medical instrument surface, thereby improving the recovery rate of the medical instrument and prolonging the recovery time window; the copper-titanium coating belongs to the group of metal composite coatings, has a certain toughness and ductility, and avoids the large-amplitude deformation process of the medical instrument damaging the coating; and the mechanical property and the coating quality of the medical instrument comprising a fine nickel-titanium alloy component are guaranteed by the method for preparing the coating.

A system is disclosed, including a processing chamber for a deposition process; a cathode within the chamber, configured to introduce a sputter gas and a reactive gas adjacent to a target; a substrate holder, disposed opposite the cathode within the processing chamber, configured to secure a substrate to receive a deposition from the target; and a control system configured to monitor a target voltage and to control a flow rate of the reactive gas to maintain the target voltage within a desired range during the deposition process. Methods and devices for deposition processes are also disclosed.

A DC magnetron sputtering apparatus is for depositing a film on a substrate. The apparatus includes a chamber, a substrate support positioned within the chamber, a DC magnetron, and an electrical signal supply device for supplying an electrical bias signal that, in use, causes ions to bombard a substrate positioned on the substrate support. The substrate support includes a central region surrounded by an edge region, the central region being raised with respect to the edge region.

The invention relates to a method for producing a coated cutting tool in which a coating with at least one oxide layer is applied to a base layer by means of a PVD method. The method includes voltage-pulsed sputtering of at least one cathode metal selected from the group of aluminum, scandium, yttrium, silicon, zinc, titanium, zirconium, hafnium, chromium, niobium, and tantalum, as well as mixtures and alloys thereof in the presence of a reactive gas; and the depositing of at least one oxide layer formed by converting the reactive gas with the sputtered cathode metal onto the base body. The cathode metal includes at least aluminum. Dinitrogen oxide is used as the reactive gas. The at least one oxide layer is in the form of an oxide, mixed oxide, or oxide mixture of the at least one cathode metal.

The invention relates to a nuclear fuel cladding comprising: i) a substrate containing a zirconium-based inner layer, optionally coated with at least one intermediate layer formed by at least one intermediate material selected from among tantalum, molybdenum, tungsten, niobium, vanadium, hafnium or the alloys thereof; and ii) at least one protective outer layer placed on the substrate and formed by a protective material selected from either chromium or an alloy of chromium. The nuclear fuel cladding produced using the method of the invention has improved resistance to oxidation/hydriding. The invention also relates to the method for the production of the nuclear fuel cladding by ion etching of the surface of the substrate and deposition of the outer layer on the substrate with a high power impulse magnetron sputtering method (HiPIMS), as well as to the use thereof to protect against oxidation and/or hydriding.

An oxide superconductor has a composition expressed by RE.sub.aBa.sub.bCu.sub.3O.sub.7-x, where RE represents one rare earth or a combination of two or more of a rare earth, a satisfies 1.05≦a≦1.35, b satisfies 1.80≦b≦2.05, and x represents an amount of oxygen deficiency, and a non-superconducting phase having an outer diameter of 30 nm or less is included in a superconducting phase.

An element with at least one slide surface with a coating for use on an internal combustion engine may include a base of a metallic alloy and at least one inner surface provided with a hard ceramic coating generated by physical vapor deposition. The element may include a porosity with a rate lower than 2 percent by volume, a Vickers hardness ranging from 1500 to 3000HV, and a compressive inner tension lower than 500 MPa.

The invention relates to a method for coating a substrate 40, a coating system for carrying out the method, and a coated body. In a first method step 62, the substrate 40 is to pretreated in a ion etching process. In a second method step 64, a first coating layer 56a with a thickness of 0.1 μm to 6 μm is deposited on the substrate 40 by means of a PVD process. In order to achieve a particularly high-quality and durable coating 50, the surface of the first coating layer 56a is treated by means of an ion etching process in a third method step 66, and an additional coating layer 56b with a thickness of 0.1 μm to 6 μm is deposited on the first coating layer 56a by means of a PVD process in a fourth method step 68. The coated body comprises at least two coating layers 56a, 56b, 56c, 56d with a thickness of 0.1 μm to 6 μm on a substrate 40, wherein an interface region formed by ion etching is arranged between the coating layers 56a, 56b, 56c, 56d.