Implantation and deposition of adherent metal-oxide ceramic coatings

Summary form only given, as follows. Firing a cathodic-arc at a pulse biased target in a low pressure background of oxygen allows very adherent coatings of metal-oxide ceramics to be deposited. Due to the high density of the metal-ion plasma and the high voltage of the pulse bias (50 kV), a relatively conformal implant can be achieved. This implanted metal layer stitches the metal-oxide coating to the surface and provides a graded interface which resists delamination. We present characterizations of the metal-ion and carbon plasmas created by a cathodic-arc, discuss the effect of varying the relative phase of the cathodic-arc and target bias pulses, examine the conformality of ceramic and diamond-like-carbon films deposited on complicated shapes, and provide evidence of increased adherence due to the implantation step.