INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY OF METALS

DEVEOPMENT OF THE INSTITUTE :: Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD)

        Plasma assisted chemical coating techniques (plasma CVD) have long been used in the manufacture of components in the electronics industry for the deposition of a wide range of thin coating layers - conductive, non-conductive and semi-conductive. More recent applications have been developed in corrosion protection with thin coatings (approx. 5 to 10 µm) of extremely hard materials such as titanium carbide, titanium nitride or aluminium oxide. The deposition of amorphous or diamond-like carbon (DLC) layers is also gaining more and more importance. The first process to be used to produce these hard material layers was the thermal chemical vapour deposition (CVD), which requires temperatures of around 1000°C.
        The CVD process has the advantage that complex shapes can be coated on all sides with uniform thickness. However, the high process temperature reduces the toughness of the cutting tool and moreover a certain amount of grain growth within the coating cannot be avoided.
        The plasma assisted CVD technique combines the advantages of high temperature CVD and PVD. As a result of the partial ionization of the process gas (plasma) the chemical reaction required for deposition can occur at temperatures of approx. 500° C.
        Reactor allows microwave processing at high pressure (>10 Torr), at medium pressure (100 mTorr with optional magnets), and at low pressure (<10 mTorr with optional magnet and optional streaming chamber). These CVD systems are used worldwide to grow various materials which include Carbon and related materials (Diamond, nanocrystalline diamond and carbon nanotubes, etc.) and non-carbon advanced materials GaN, SiC, etc. with recent addition of Gallium Oxide and Silicon wiskers.

Fundamental Concept of a Plant for Plasma Surface Treatment


Applications:

• Carbides and hardmetal indexable inserts
• Forming and cutting tools in tool and high speed steels