(TI-AL)N ADVANCED FILMS PREPARED BY ARC PROCESS

This paper reviews the influence of are plasma parameters for deposition of (Ti-Al)N compound films. Various cathode designs and material compositions were used as evaporation sources for the deposition of (Ti-Al)N coatings. The experimental results showing the influence of the are process parameters on composition, surface morphology, adhesion, microhardness and color values are discussed. The test results from cutting tools show that the are technique is well suited to the industrial deposition ot (Ti-Al)N coatings by evaporation of alloyed material in a reactive gas atmosphere. The observed dependence of the aluminum content on the bias voltage using the are process offers an interesting possibility for varying the aluminum content of the growing film composition. Increasing aluminum content leads to an increase in surface coating roughness. To overcome this problem two modified are process solutions under investigation are presented. It was found by using these solutions that the number of macroparticles can be considerably reduced.