Current insulated bearing components and bearings

A bearing comprising a bearing component of steel, the bearing component having:

• at least one layer having a high hardness and a high current insulation property applied by at least one of a PVD (physical vapor deposition) process, a CVD (chemical vapor deposition) process, and a PECVD (plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition) process (but excluding an ALD (atomic layer deposition) process or a plasma enhanced ALD process) at at least one surface region of said component, said at least one layer comprising a non-conductive oxide layer selected from the group of materials comprising an Al2O3 layer, a TaxOy layer, an SixOy layer, a mixed layer comprising two or more of the foregoing oxides, a multilayer structure comprising alternating layers of two or more of the foregoing oxides and a DLC (diamond-like carbon) layer;
• and
• at least one ALD layer comprising at least one layer of a material deposited by an ALD process on said at least one layer having a high hardness and a high current insulation property, the ALD layer itself having a high current insulation property and comprising a material or layer structure selected from the group of materials comprising an Al2O3 layer a TaxOy layer, an SixOy layer, a TiO2 layer, an HfO2 layer, a mixed layer comprising two or more of the foregoing oxides, and a multilayer structure comprising alternating layers of two or more of the foregoing oxides.

A machine comprising a bearing component of steel, the bearing component having:

• at least one layer having a high hardness and a high current insulation property applied by at least one of a PVD (physical vapor deposition) process, a CVD (chemical vapor deposition) process, and a PECVD (plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition) process (but excluding an ALD (atomic layer deposition) process or a plasma enhanced ALD process) at at least one surface region of said component, said at least one layer comprising a non-conductive oxide layer selected from the group of materials comprising an Al2O3 layer, a TaxOy layer, an SixOy layer, a mixed layer comprising two or more of the foregoing oxides, a multilayer structure comprising alternating layers of two or more of the foregoing oxides and a DLC (diamond-like carbon) layer;
• and
• at least one ALD layer comprising at least one layer of a material deposited by an ALD process on said at least one layer having a high hardness and a high current insulation property, the ALD layer itself having a high current insulation property and comprising a material or layer structure selected from the group of materials comprising an Al2O3 layer, a TaxOy layer, an SixOy layer, a TiO2 layer, an HfO2 layer, a mixed layer comprising two or more of the foregoing oxides, and a multilayer structure comprising alternating layer of two or more the foregoing oxides.