A Study of the Features of Coating Deposition on a Carbide Substrate Using Preliminary Etching with Glow-Discharge Plasma

The properties of coatings obtained using two surface preparation methods were compared: heating and etching by ion bombardment with plasma generation by arc evaporators and heating and etching by a glow discharge. A Ti-TiN-(Ti,Cr,Al)N coating was deposited. The use of a glow discharge provides better resistance of the coating to destruction during the scratch test and wear resistance of metal-cutting tools when turning steel. As the cutting speed increases, the advantage in wear resistance of the coating deposited using a glow discharge increases. During the process of heating and etching by ion bombardment with metal ions, a nanolayer rich in cobalt and tooling elements (iron, molybdenum) is formed in the area of the interface of the coating and the carbide substrate. When heated and etched by a glow discharge, such a layer does not form. When using both methods, there is identical diffusion of tungsten into the coating and diffusion of chromium and possibly titanium into the substrate. Thus, the glow-discharge heating and etching method can be effectively used in the process of PVD coating deposition.