Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	GR/R32420/01
Title:	Droplet Free Metal Ion Source for PVD Hard Coating Production
Principal Investigator:	Munz, Professor W
Other Investigators:	New, Professor R
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:	Bodycote H I P Ltd HAUZER TECHNO-COATING B.V. HVM Plasma Ltd Hydra Tools International Linkoping UNI Sweden R. Wilson & Co Ltd University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Department:	Materials Research Institute
Organisation:	Sheffield Hallam University
Scheme:	Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts:	01 April 2001	Ends:	30 June 2003	Value (£):	76,058
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Materials Processing
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Manufacturing Chemicals
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Summary on Grant Application Form
To meet continuous demands for improved performance of the state of art hard coatings for tribological applications it is necessary to incorporate novel plasma assisted deposition technology into the present coating equipment providing better control over the energy of film forming species. The work proposes to build on experience of SHU in coating and surface engineering, and collaboration with Linkoping University, Sweden, which has contributed in the past to the development of high power pulsed magnetron sputtering. Ionised magnetron sputtering and high power pulsed magnetron sources provide a high degree of ionization of metal vapour comparable with steered cathodic arc which is currently used for applications where substantial ionisation of metal flux is desirable. Magnetron sputtering sources generate no droplets unlike arc evaporation, which is crucial for reducing the number of growth defects. This will be used to improve several critical technological steps in wear and corrosion resistant coating production: (a) (Tool coating applications) droplet free metal ion etching during surface pretreatment will lead to high quality coating/substrate interface with reduced film roughness (b) the production of fully dense layers from ionized film forming species interrupting the columnar growth for improved corrosion resistance. As both modified magnetron plasma sources require only a minimal modification to existing coating equipment, the process and its benefits will be available at a relatively low investment to a wide range of companies (incl. SME's) in the coating and finishing industries.
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Organisation Website:	http://www.shu.ac.uk