Provided is a transparent structure having improved wear resistance and flexibility, and a structure according to the present invention is a nanolayered structure in which a nitride nanofilm of one or more elements selected from metals and metalloids; and a boron nitride nanofilm are alternately layered.

Techniques for generating a multi-layered thin film coating for dental applications are disclosed. An example of a dental substrate with an aesthetic coating includes a barrier layer deposited on the dental substrate, a textured layer deposited over the barrier layer, the textured layer comprising a first material with features of a size sufficient to scatter light, and at least one protective layer deposited over the textured layer.

The present invention provides a flexible hard composite coating, a preparation method thereof and a coated cutter. The flexible hard composite coating includes an AlCrN transition layer and a nanocomposite layer sequentially disposed on the surface of a substrate, the nanocomposite layer having CrON layers and AlON layers sequentially alternately arranged on the surface of the AlCrN transition layer. According to an embodiment, AlCrN is used as a transition layer, for strengthening the connection between the nanocomposite layer and the substrate. The nanocomposite layer constituted by the CrON layers and the AlON layers increases the toughness of the coating and the successive alternation of the CrON layers and the AlON layers reduces the stress of the coating, increasing the crystal plane structure and the grain boundary of the coating and further improves the properties of hardness and resistance to high-temperature oxidation.

A sliding member (10) including a coating film (1) composed of a hard carbon layer on a sliding surface (16) of a base material (11). The coating film has, when a cross section thereof is observed by a bright-field TEM image, a thickness within a range of 1 m to 50 m, and is configured by repeating units including black hard carbon layers (B), relatively shown in black, and white hard carbon layers (W), relatively shown in white, and laminated in a thickness direction, and comprise an inclined region, provided on a base material side, where thicknesses of white hard carbon layers (W) of the repeating units gradually increase in a thickness direction, and a homogeneous region\, provided on a surface side of the sliding member, where thicknesses of the white hard carbon layers (W) of the repeating units are the same or substantially the same in the thickness direction.

A coated tool may include a base member and a coating layer located on the base member. The coating layer may include a plurality of AlTi layers including aluminum and titanium, and a plurality of AlCr layers including aluminum and chromium. The AlTi layers and the AlCr layers may be located alternately one upon another. The coating layer may include a plurality of first regions where a thickness of each of the AlCr layers becomes larger as going away from the base member, and a plurality of second regions where a thickness of each of the AlCr layers becomes smaller as going away from the base member. The first regions and the second regions may be located alternately one upon another in a thickness direction of the coating layer.

A surface-coated cutting tool includes a substrate and a coating film that coats the substrate, wherein the coating film includes a WC.sub.1-x layer composed of a compound represented by WC.sub.1-x, where x is more than or equal to 0.54 and less than or equal to 0.58, the compound represented by WC.sub.1-x includes a hexagonal crystal structure, and a maximum point of a peak exists in a range of 31.2 to 31.4 eV in a spectrum diagram of a 4f orbital of a tungsten element obtained when measuring the WC.sub.1-x layer by an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis method.

A surface-coated cutting tool includes a substrate and a coating film that coats the substrate, wherein the coating film includes a WC.sub.1-x layer composed of a compound represented by WC.sub.1-x, where x is more than or equal to 0.54 and less than or equal to 0.58, the compound represented by WC.sub.1-x includes a hexagonal crystal structure, and a ratio 1(110)/1(011) of an X-ray diffraction intensity of a (110) plane to an X-ray diffraction intensity of a (011) plane in the WC.sub.1-x layer is more than or equal to 0.1 and less than or equal to 0.4.

A method for producing a surface-modified component includes: a process of forming a thermal sprayed coating on a substrate; a process of irradiating a surface of the thermal sprayed coating with a high energy beam so as to cause an entirety of the thermal sprayed coating and a part of the substrate in a thickness direction to melt and then solidify, and thereby forming a densified modified layer; a process of forming a thermal sprayed coating on the modified layer which has been formed in the latest; and a process of irradiating a surface of the thermal sprayed coating with a high energy beam so as to cause an entirety of the thermal sprayed coating and a part of the modified layer which has been formed in the latest in the thickness direction to melt and then solidify, and thereby forming a densified modified layer.

A tool having a cutting edge that includes a sintered body containing cubic boron nitride. The sintered body integrally and inseparably includes an inner region and a binder phase enriched layer formed on at least part of a surface of the inner region. The inner region includes: 15-90 volume % of cubic boron nitride; and 10-85 volume % of a mixture of a binder phase and impurities. The binder phase enriched layer includes: 90-100 volume % of the binder phase and impurities mixture; and 0-10 volume % of cubic boron nitride; and the binder phase contains at least one kind selected from the group consisting of: at least one element selected from the group consisting of Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Al, Co, Ni and Si; and a compound of the element and at least one element selected from the group consisting of C, N, O and B.

Embodiments described herein relate to methods and materials for fabricating semiconductor device structures. In one example, a metal film stack includes a plurality of metal containing films and a plurality of metal derived films arranged in an alternating manner. In another example, a metal film stack includes a plurality of metal containing films which are modified into metal derived films. In certain embodiments, the metal film stacks are used in oxide/metal/oxide/metal (OMOM) structures for memory devices.