Method for manufacturing a nuclear fuel rod cladding and corresponding nuclear fuel rod cladding

19:

• The method for manufacturing according to claim 18, wherein at least two from among the several techniques of physical vapor deposition by cathodic sputtering are implemented simultaneously using a common cathode.

20:

• The method for manufacturing according to claim 19, comprising an application to each common cathode of a combined excitation signal corresponding to a superposition of at least two elementary excitation signals, each elementary excitation signal being formed of a periodic pattern corresponding to a respective technique of physical vapor deposition by cathodic sputtering from among the techniques of physical vapor deposition by cathodic sputtering implemented simultaneously using said common cathode, the elementary excitation signals being synchronized in such a way that their respective patterns are present sequentially in the combined excitation signal.

21:

• The method for manufacturing according to claim 20, wherein each elementary excitation signal is generated by a respective excitation signal generator, the elementary excitation signals being synchronized and superposed to form the combined excitation signal applied to said common cathode.

22:

• The method for manufacturing according to claim 18, wherein at least one from among the techniques of physical vapor deposition by cathodic sputtering implemented simultaneously, is implemented using a dedicated cathode, by applying to this dedicated cathode an excitation signal for the implementation of this physical vapor deposition technique.

23:

• The method for manufacturing according to claim 18, wherein each from among the techniques of physical vapor deposition by cathodic sputtering implemented simultaneously, is implemented using a dedicated cathode, by applying to this dedicated cathode an excitation signal for the implementation of this technique of physical vapor deposition.

24:

• The method for manufacturing according to claim 22, wherein the excitation signal of each dedicated cathode is generated by a respective excitation signal generator.

25:

• The method for manufacturing according to claim 18, wherein the techniques of physical vapor deposition implemented simultaneously are chosen from a group consisting of:
• a high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) unipolar or bipolar, a direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering unipolar or bipolar, a pulsed direct current (pulsed-DC) magnetron sputtering unipolar or bipolar, a medium frequency (MF) magnetron sputtering unipolar or bipolar, and a radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering unipolar or bipolar.

26:

• The method for manufacturing according to claim 18, wherein the substrate is made of a zirconium-based material and/or the protective coating is made of a chrome-based material.

27:

• The method for manufacturing according to claim 18, wherein a thickness of the protective coating at an end of the depositing step is comprised between 5 μm and 30 μm.

28:

• The method for manufacturing according to claim 18, wherein a thickness of the protective coating at an end of the depositing step is comprised between 10 μm and 20 μm.

29:

• The method for manufacturing according to claim 18, wherein the substrate presents a shape of revolution around a central axis, the method for manufacturing comprises driving the substrate in rotation around the central axis during the depositing step.

30:

• The method for manufacturing according to claim 18, comprising polarizing the substrate during the deposition of the coating.

31:

• A nuclear fuel rod cladding comprising a substrate covered with a protective coating deposited on the substrate by physical vapor deposition by implementing simultaneously a plurality of different techniques of physical vapor deposition by cathodic sputtering.

33:

• The installation according to claim 32, comprising at least one common cathode for the simultaneous implementation of at least two from among the techniques of physical vapor deposition by cathodic sputtering implemented simultaneously, the excitation device being configured to generate a combined excitation signal of the common cathode which corresponds to the superposition of several elementary excitation signals, each elementary excitation signal having a periodic pattern corresponding to a respective, from among, the techniques of physical vapor deposition by cathodic sputtering implemented simultaneously using said common cathode, the elementary excitation signals being combined so that their respective patterns are present sequentially in the combined excitation signal.

34:

• The installation according to claim 32, comprising at least one dedicated cathode for the implementation of one from among the techniques of physical vapor deposition by cathodic sputtering implemented simultaneously, the excitation device being configured to generate a respective excitation signal for each dedicated cathode, the excitation signal corresponding to the technique of physical vapor deposition by cathodic sputtering associated with this dedicated cathode.

35:

• The installation according to claim 32, is configured for polarizing the substrate during the deposition of the coating.