# US 12,006,564 B2 · Cubic Al-rich AlTiN coatings deposited from ceramic targets

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- Number: US 12,006,564 B2
- Document ID: US12006564B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/291,841
- Filed: 2019-11-11
- Published: 2021-12-23
- Granted: 2024-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2018-11-09
- Assignees: Oerlikon Surface Solutions AG, PfäFfikon; MOLDINO Tool Engineering, Ltd.
- Applicants: Oerlikon Surface Solutions AG, Pfäffikon; MOLDINO Tool Engineering, Ltd.
- Inventors: Siva Phani Kumar Yalamanchili; Denis Kurapov; Tomoya Sasaki; Kazuyuki Kubota
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12006564B2

## CPC

- C23C 14/0617: {AIII BV compounds, where A is Al, Ga, In or Tl and B is N, P, As, Sb or Bi}
- C23C 14/0641: {Nitrides (C23C14/0617 takes precedence)}
- C23C 14/325: {Electric arc evaporation}
- C23C 14/345: {using substrate bias}
- C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04)

## Abstract

The present invention discloses a non-reactive PVD coating process for producing an aluminium-rich AlxTi1−xN-based thin film having an aluminium content of >75 at-% based on the total amount of aluminium and titanium in the thin film, a cubic crystal structure, and a columnar microstructure, wherein ceramic targets are used as a material source for the aluminium-rich AlxTi1−xN-based thin film.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A non-reactive PVD coating process for producing an aluminium-rich AlxTi1−xN-based thin film having an aluminium content of >75 at-% based on the total amount of aluminium and titanium in the thin film, a cubic crystal structure, and a columnar microstructure, wherein ceramic targets are used as a material source for the aluminium-rich AlxTi1−xN-based thin film.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The coating process according to claim 1,
wherein the ceramic targets being formed in the form of at least nitrides or oxides or carbides.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The coating process according to claim 1,
wherein a negative bias voltage is applied to the substrate to be coated, wherein the bias voltage applied to the substrate is <120 V.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The coating process according to claim 1,
wherein the ceramic targets comprise Al and Ti, wherein the aluminium content, based on the total amount of aluminium and titanium in the targets is higher than 50 at-%.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The coating process according to claim 1,
wherein the coating is carried out without using a reactive gas.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The coating process according to claim 1, wherein AlN80TiN20 is used as target material for the aluminium-rich AlxTi1−xN-based thin film.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The coating process according to claim 1,
wherein a sputtering technique is used as a non-reactive PVD coating process.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The coating process according to claim 7,
wherein at least an HiPIMS or an ARC PVD coating process is used as a non-reactive PVD coating process.

### Claim 9 (depends on 4)

The coating process according to claim 4,
wherein the ceramic targets comprise also other elements apart from Al and Ti.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The coating process according to claim 9, wherein the ceramic targets comprise further transition metals.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The coating process according to claim 1,
wherein a plurality of aluminium-rich AlxTi1−xN-based thin films are deposited one above the other to produce a multilayer thin film.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The coating process according to claim 1, wherein the substrate temperature is between 100° C. and 350° C.

### Claim 13

A non-reactive PVD coating process for producing an aluminium-rich AlxTi1−xN-based thin film having an aluminium content of >75 at-% based on the total amount of aluminium and titanium in the thin film, a cubic crystal structure, and a columnar microstructure, wherein ceramic targets are used as a material source for the aluminium-rich AlxTi1−xN-based thin film, wherein the substrate temperature is between 100° C. and 350° C.