Plasma deposition of hard coatings - Duplex treatment

Abstract

Various ion and plasma assisted techniques used for surface modification and formation of functional surface layers are extensively developed as a important part of plasma surface engineering (PSE), Besides many applications in electrical engineering, microelectronics, optoelectronics, optics, sensors and actuators, biomedical engineering and other fields for production of active surface elements, the use of plasma technique for synthesis of new materials and deposition of protective coatings on functional components is of increasing importance, In order to obtain various thermal and diffusion barriers, wear and corrosion resistant layers and surface structure with desired tribological properties, a wide range of materials in the form of coatings was obtained by using plasma technique. In many cases, wear resistant material was found to have high hardness so that a new class of surface protective layers known as hard coatings was developed. Further research in this field includes the formation of multicomponent, multilayer and composite structures, as well as superlattice with desired tribological properties. A composite surface: structure which consists of a hard coating deposited on plasma nitrided layer was considered and its principal properties analyzed.