# US 12,110,580 B2 · TiCN having reduced growth defects by means of HiPIMS > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,110,580 B2 - Document ID: US12110580B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/148,197 - Filed: 2022-12-29 - Published: 2023-05-04 - Granted: 2024-10-08 - Earliest claimed: 2016-04-22 - Assignees: Oerlikon Surface Solutions AG, PfäFfikon - Applicants: Oerlikon Surface Solutions AG, Pfäffikon - Inventors: Denis Kurapov; Siegfried Krassnitzer - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12110580B2 ## CPC - C23C 14/0057: {using reactive gases other than O2, H2O, N2, NH3 or CH4} - C23C 14/024: {Deposition of sublayers, e.g. to promote adhesion of the coating (C23C14/027 takes precedence)} - C23C 14/0664: {Carbonitrides} - C23C 14/345: {using substrate bias} - C23C 14/3485: {using pulsed power to the target} - C23C 14/352: {using more than one target (C23C14/56 takes precedence)} - H01J 37/3426: {Material} - H01J 37/3467: {Pulsed operation, e.g. HIPIMS} - 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) - H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H) ## Abstract A method for applying a coating having at least one TiCN layer to a surface of a substrate to be coated by means of high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS), wherein, to deposit the at least one TiCN layer, at least one Ti target is used as the Ti source for producing the TiCN layer, said target being sputtered in a reactive atmosphere by means of a HIPIMS process in a coating chamber, wherein the reactive atmosphere comprises at least one inert gas, preferably argon, and at least nitrogen gas as the reactive gas, wherein: the reactive atmosphere additionally contains, as a second reactive gas, a gas containing carbon, preferably CH4, used as the source of carbon to produce the TiCN layer wherein, while depositing the TiCN layer, a bipolar bias voltage is applied to the substrate to be coated, or at least one graphite target is used as the source of carbon for producing the TiCN layer, said target being used for sputtering in the coating chamber using a HIPIMS process with the reactive atmosphere having only nitrogen gas as the reactive gas, wherein the Ti targets are preferably operated by means of a first power supply device or a first power supply unit and the graphite targets are operated with pulsed power by means of a second power supply device or a second power supply unit. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for depositing a coating having at least one titanium carbonitride (TiCN) layer on a surface of a substrate by means of high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS), wherein, to reduce growth defects during deposition of the at least one TiCN layer on the surface, the method comprises: depositing the TiCN layer with a HiPIMS process by sputtering at least one target comprising Ti and at least one target comprising carbon in a reactive atmosphere in a coating chamber, wherein the at least one target comprising Ti is used as the source of Ti for producing the TiCN layer, wherein the at least one target comprising carbon is used as the source of carbon for producing the TiCN layer, and wherein the reactive atmosphere has an inert gas and only nitrogen gas as a reactive gas. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one target comprising Ti is operated via a first power supply device or a first power supply unit, and/or the at least one target comprising carbon is operated with pulsed power via a second power supply device or a second power supply unit. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one target comprising Ti is a metallic target consisting of Ti. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one target comprising carbon is a target consisting of graphite. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one target comprising carbon is a target made of a composite material. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the target made of the composite material consists of one carbide and at least one metal. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one target comprising Ti is a ceramic target consisting of TiC. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one target comprising carbon is a target consisting of graphite. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one target comprising carbon is a target made of a composite material. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the target made of the composite material consists of one carbide and at least one metal. ### Claim 11 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one target comprising carbon is a target consisting of graphite. ### Claim 12 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one target comprising carbon is a target made of a composite material. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the target made of the composite material consists of one carbide and at least one metal.