Influence of the pulsing of the current of a vacuum arc on rate and droplets

The main disadvantage of present arc deposition is the occurrence of droplets incorporated in the deposited layers. Usually the droplet erosion from the target limits the coating rate and the productivity of the d.c.-arc process. The contribution shows the significant reduction of the number and the size of the droplets incorporated in TiN- and TiAlN layers by using a pulsed-arc coating process. Furthermore, the pulsed-arc process allowed higher deposition rates.