Pulse enhanced electron emission (P3e™) arc evaporation and the synthesis of wear resistant Al–Cr–O coatings in corundum structure

Pulse enhanced electron emission (P3e™) is a new approach in PVD technology for the deposition of metal oxides. The process is dedicated to the formation of alumina-based and other metallic oxide layers and comprises high current pulse technique for the arc sources. The method allows a deposition of hard alumina-based coatings at substrate temperatures below 600 °C. ent oxide layers and layer combinations were prepared with this new technique illustrating the enormous potential for the design of wear resistant coatings. The layers were characterized with respect to hardness, stress, composition, crystal structure, and thermal stability. Solid solutions of (Al1 − xCrx)2O3 could be synthesized for a composition range of 0.3 ≤ x < 1. The growth of the solid solutions has also been demonstrated at TiCN and TiAlN interfaces.