Today's research on the cathodic arc deposition technique and coatings therefrom primarily focuses on the effects of, e.g., nitrogen partial pressure, growth temperature, and substrate bias. Detailed studies on the morphology and structure of the starting material-the cathode-during film growth and its influence on coating properties at different process conditions are rare. This work aims to study the evolution of the converted layer, its morphology, and microstructure, as a function of the cathode material grain size during deposition of Ti-Al-N coatings. The coatings were reactively grown in pure N 2 discharges from powder metallurgically manufactured Ti-50 at.% Al cathodes with grain size distribution averages close to 1800, 100, 50, and 10 lm, respectively, and characterized with respect to microstructure, composition, and mechanical properties. The results indicate that for the cathode of 1800 lm grain size the disparity in the work function among parent phases plays a dominant role in the pronounced erosion of Al, which yields the coatings rich in macro-particles and of high Al content. We further observed that a reduction in the grain size of Ti-50 at.% Al cathodes to 10 lm provides favorable conditions for self-sustaining reactions between Ti and Al phases upon arcing to form c phase. The combination of self-sustaining reaction and the arc process not only result in the formation of hole-like and sub-hole features on the converted layer but also generate coatings of high Al content and laden with macro-particles.

Detailed knowledge of correlations between direct current (DC) cathodic arc deposition process parameters, plasma properties, and the microstructure of deposited coatings are essential for a comprehensive understanding of the DC cathodic arc deposition process. In this study we have probed the plasma, generated by DC arc on a Ti-50 at.% Al cathode in a N2 ambience, at the growth front of the TiAlN coating. Several consequences of an increasing N2 pressure are observed, including a decreased electron temperature, an increased electron density, and a loss of energetic ions. As a result, the preferred growth texture switches from 220 to 111. It is also observed that neutrals in the plasma can significantly contribute to the growth of TiAlN coatings.

The differences in work function (W.F.) and cohesive energy (C.E.) of the phases constituting the cathode, plays an important role in the formation of the converted layer at its nearsurface region during cathodic arc deposition. As a consequence, this also affects the deposition conditions for the coatings. In this study, we explore the effect of W.F. and C.E. of the constituent phases during arc evaporation by utilizing two kinds of customized Ti-50 at.% Al cathodes with different phase compositions. Our results show that during reactive arc evaporation the disparity in W.F. and C.E. among the constituent phases of Ti-50 at.% Al cathodes leads to preferential erosion of the phases with lower W.F. and C.E.. The aforementioned preferential erosion begets higher surface roughness on the Ti-50 at.% Al cathode with a wider range of W.F. and C.E. disparity. It is also observed that the thermal conductivity of the Ti-50 at.% Al cathode plays a dominant role in the deposition rate of Ti-Al-N coating. This article also presents how the surface geometry of the cathode in the presence of arc guiding magnetic field significantly influences the microstructure of the deposited coatings.

We use a modified cathodic arc deposition technique, including an electromagnetic coil that introduces a magnetic field in the vicinity of the source, to study its influence on the growth of (Ti0.36Al0.64)N coatings. By increasing the strength of the magnetic field produced by the coil, the cathode arc spots are steered toward the edge of the cathode, and the electrons are guided to an annular anode surrounding the cathode. As a result, the plasma density between the cathode and substrate decreased, which was observed as a lateral spread of the plasma plume, and a reduction of the deposition rate. Optical emission spectroscopy shows reduced intensities of all recorded plasma species when the magnetic field is increased due to a lower number of collisions resulting in excitation. We note a charge-to-mass ratio decrease of 12% when the magnetic field is increased, which is likely caused by a reduced degree of gas phase ionization, mainly through a decrease in N2 ionization. (Ti0.36Al0.64)N coatings grown at different plasma densities show considerable variations in grain size and phase composition. Two growth modes were identified, resulting in coatings with (i) a fine-grained glassy cubic and wurtzite phase mixture when deposited with a weak magnetic field, and (ii) a coarse-grained columnar cubic phase with a strong magnetic field. The latter conditions result in lower energy flux to the coating’s growth front, which suppresses surface diffusion and favors the formation of c-(Ti,Al)N solid solutions over phase segregated c-TiN and w-AlN.

The influence of the cathode grain size and the operation mode of the substrate fixture on the microstructure evolution of the Cr cathodes and the resulting Cr-N coating synthesis is studied. Hot isostatic pressed Cr cathodes with three different grain sizes were arc evaporated in a nitrogen atmosphere and Cr-N coatings were deposited on cemented carbide substrate at 2 and 4 Pa nitrogen pressure, respectively. The Cr cathodes before and after arc discharging are composed of polycrystalline α-Cr regardless of the grain size. A converted layer forms on the Cr cathode surface and its microstructure differs with the cathode grain size. A stationary mode of the substrate fixture results in ditches covering the cathode surface while a single rotating mode does not. The increased grain size of the virgin Cr cathodes enhances the quantities of the ditches. The possible causes are addressed. At 2 Pa nitrogen pressure, the Cr-N coatings deposited with the single rotating mode of the substrate fixture comprise only cubic CrN phase while the ones deposited with the stationary mode of the substrate fixture contain a mixture of hexagonal Cr2N and cubic CrN phases. By the increasing grain size of the Cr cathode, the droplet density of the Cr-N coatings increase somewhat while the hardness decreases for the Cr-N coatings deposited with stationary mode at 2 Pa nitrogen pressure. At the same stationary operation mode of the substrate fixture, the hardness of Cr-N coatings deposited at 4 Pa nitrogen pressure decreases ∼5 GPa in comparison to coatings at 2 Pa nitrogen pressure due to the decreased fraction of hex-Cr2N and the increased droplet density.