US 12,286,705 B2
Coating apparatus and coating method having divided pulses
Walter May, Aachen (DE); Werner Kölker, Herzogenrath (DE); and Stephan Bolz, Aachen (DE)
Assigned to CemeCon AG, Würselen (DE)
Appl. No. 18/026,575
Filed by CemeCon AG, Würselen (DE)
PCT Filed Sep. 6, 2021, PCT No. PCT/EP2021/074470
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 15, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/058193, PCT Pub. Date Mar. 24, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2020 124 032.5 (DE), filed on Sep. 15, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0340658 A1, Oct. 26, 2023
Int. Cl. C23C 14/35 (2006.01); C23C 14/34 (2006.01); C23C 14/54 (2006.01); H01J 37/34 (2006.01)
CPC C23C 14/35 (2013.01) [C23C 14/3485 (2013.01); C23C 14/54 (2013.01); H01J 37/3467 (2013.01)] 30 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A HIPIMS coating method for coating a body, wherein
the body is arranged in a vacuum chamber, wherein at least one magnetron cathode having a target is arranged in the vacuum chamber,
electrical power is supplied in a periodic waveform to the magnetron cathode such that a plasma is generated and the target is sputtered in order to deposit a coating on the body,
wherein, within a period duration of the periodic waveform, the electrical power is supplied in at least two cathode sub-pulses with an intervening cathode sub-pulse break, wherein the period duration is at most 1.5 ms,
and bias voltage is applied, within the period duration, to the body with at least two bias sub-pulses with an intervening bias sub-pulse break,
wherein the period duration is defined as a period from a start of a first of the at least two cathode sub-pulses to a start of a first of a succeeding at least two cathode sub-pulses.