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US 2016/0260583 A1Published application
Cathodic arc deposition apparatus and method
AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation
InventorsThomas Balzano, Russell A. Beers
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A cathodic arc coating apparatus includes a vessel, a cathode disposed in the vessel, and a stinger assembly. The stinger assembly includes a first magnetic field generator disposed in a first stinger cup in selective contact with the cathode. The first stinger cup has at least a first electrically conductive cup portion spaced from a second electrically conductive cup portion by a thermally insulating layer therebetween.
Claims32
A cathodic arc coating apparatus comprising:
- a vessel;
- a cathode disposed in the vessel, the cathode having at least one evaporative surface;
- and
- a stinger assembly including at least a first magnetic field generator disposed in a first stinger cup in selective contact with the cathode, the first stinger cup having at least a first electrically conductive cup portion spaced from a second electrically conductive cup portion by a thermally insulating layer therebetween.
1 more element
A method for coating a workpiece, the method comprising:
- positioning the workpiece in a cathodic arc deposition vessel such that a surface of the workpiece to be coated faces an evaporative surface of the cathode;
- vaporizing a portion of the cathode evaporative surface by generating an electrical arc between the cathode and an anode disposed in the vessel, the vaporized portion of the cathode forming a metallic plasma;
- directing the metallic plasma toward the workpiece by biasing the surface to be coated with a negative potential equal to or less than a negative potential of the anode;
- and
- steering the electrical arc about the cathode by operating a first magnetic field generator, the magnetic field generator disposed in a first multi-part stinger cup in selective contact with the cathode, the first stinger cup having at least a first electrically conductive cup portion spaced from a second electrically conductive cup portion by a thermally insulating layer therebetween.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.