Methods and systems for depositing a thin film are disclosed. The methods and systems can be used to deposit a film having a uniform thickness on a substrate surface that has a non-planar three-dimensional geometry, such as a curved surface. The methods involve the use of a deposition source that has a shape in accordance with the non-planar three-dimensional geometry of the substrate surface. In some embodiments, multiple layers of films are deposited onto each other forming multi-layered coatings. In some embodiments, the multi-layered coatings are antireflective (AR) coatings for windows or lenses.

There is provided an ion generation device including a plasma generation chamber that generates a plasma for extracting an ion, and a heating device configured to heat the plasma generation chamber by irradiating a member that defines the plasma generation chamber or a member that is to be exposed to the plasma generated inside the plasma generation chamber with a laser beam.

A film forming apparatus includes a cylindrical evaporation source, an electrode, and a gas passage. The evaporation source is composed of metal and includes an internal space for accommodating a workplace. The electrode is arranged in the internal space of the evaporation source, The gas passage supplies gas to the internal space of the evaporation source from a space outside the evaporation source. The gas passage includes an end portion located in the internal space. The end portion of the gas passage includes a first section composed of a first material and a second section composed of a second material. The first material and the second material have different thermal expansion coefficients.

An atmospheric pressure pulsed arc plasma source and method of using including a housing having a housing opening therein; an insulator tube having an insulator tube opening therein, retained within the housing opening; and a conductive tube, retained within the insulator tube opening. A nozzle is retained by the housing. A feed path is defined in the conductive tube and the nozzle and a gas feed port is operatively coupled to the feed path. Feedstock is provided in the feed path and electrically coupled to the conductive tube. A pulsed DC power source provides a pulsed voltage to the conductive tube. The plasma source emits a discharge stream having a temperature that is less than 50 C. from the nozzle and a coating is formed on a substrate.

A reactor for plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition includes a plasma duct for containing one or more substrates to be coated by ions; an arc discharge generation system for generating a flow of electrons through the plasma duct from a proximal end toward a distal end of the plasma duct; a gas inlet coupled to the distal end for receiving a reactive gas; a gas outlet coupled to the proximal end for removing at least a portion of the reactive gas to generate a flow of the reactive gas through the plasma duct from the distal end toward the proximal end, to generate the ions from collisions between the electrons and the reactive gas; and a separating baffle positioned for restricting flow of the reactive gas out of the plasma duct to maintain a high pressure in the plasma duct to increase rate of deposition of the ions onto the substrates.

An ion generator includes an ion source control unit that controls a gas supply unit and a plasma excitation source in accordance with a current ion source condition and a new ion source condition to be employed subsequent to the current ion source condition, a retention time obtaining unit that obtains retention time for the current ion source condition, and a pre-treatment condition setting unit that sets a pre-treatment condition defining a pre-treatment for forming a surface layer region suitable for the new ion source condition on a plasma chamber inner wall based on the current ion source condition, the retention time, and the new ion source condition. The ion source control unit is configured to control the gas supply unit and the plasma excitation source in accordance with the pre-treatment condition when the current ion source condition is changed to the new ion source condition.

In one aspect, coated cutting tools are described herein comprising a substrate and a coating comprising a refractory layer deposited by physical vapor deposition adhered to the substrate, the refractory layer comprising M.sub.1xAl.sub.xN wherein x0.68 and M is titanium, chromium or zirconium, the refractory layer including a cubic crystalline phase and having hardness of at least 25 GPa.

An arc evaporation device includes a bar-shaped target having a front end surface and a side surface to be melted and evaporated from the front end surface by arc discharge; an arc power supply; a target feed unit which moves the target axially and in a feed direction; an ignition rod capable of contact with the side surface of the target, in an intersecting direction intersecting the feed direction; a rotary actuator which moves the ignition rod along the intersecting direction from a retraction position apart from the side surface in the intersecting direction to make the ignition rod enter a transport region into which the target is fed; and a detection unit which detects whether or not the ignition rod has come into contact with the side surface of the target during movement of the ignition rod.

In one aspect, coated cutting tools are described herein comprising a substrate and a coating comprising a refractory layer deposited by physical vapor deposition adhered to the substrate, the refractory layer comprising M.sub.1-xAl.sub.xN wherein x0.68 and M is titanium, chromium or zirconium, the refractory layer including a cubic crystalline phase and having hardness of at least 25 GPa.

A process for producing a coating source for physical vapour deposition provides the coating source with a target layer formed of an at least two-phase composite which contains a metallic phase and at least one further phase and a mechanical stabilizing layer which is joined to the target layer on one side of the target layer. A first powder mixture which corresponds in terms of its composition to the at least two-phase composite and a second powder mixture which corresponds in terms of its composition to the mechanical stabilizing layer are densified hot in superposed layers. A coating source for physical vapour deposition is also provided.