This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop glow discharge plasma coatings and arc discharge plasma coatings using implantation to relieve stress and enhance adhesion. These will be designed to replace wet chrome plating technology and conventional titanium nitride. These coatings will scale at low cost to high energies, with the attribute that they will conform to the treated surface like a wet coating. These processes are expected to be environmentally benign and to provide flexible control over the morphology and chemistry of the coating. Phase I will combine the use of low energy plasma ions which provide conformal vapor deposition-like coatings with medium energy ions which provide ion beam mixing and non-equilibrium solid solutions. These processes will produce a modified surface zone, well integrated with the substrate material, which can be deposited over a wide range of thickness from submicron to several tens of microns. The plasma source consists of an arc discharge in conjunction with a gas feed to fabricate the chromium nitride (CrN) hard coatings used in the tool industry. This technology may eliminate the present need to use environmentally damaging wet processes, such as hard chrome plating, and yet reduce the net cost. It is anticipated to provide a cost-effective surface hardening method which will increase coating thickness and provide for improved coating adhesion.
