Ion plating technology : developments and applications

Ion plating is a hybrid vacuum coating process that combines the benefits of vacuum evaporation and sputtering. The term "ion plating" is generally applied to high energy plasma deposition methods in which the surface to be coated is subjected to a small flux of high energy ions and a much larger number of energetic neutrals before and during the deposition of the coating. This excellent handbook/reference source for ion plating covers in practical terms the characteristics of ion plating, the system needed, the process itself, the resulting coating characteristics and the many applications. Ion plating is now a major industrial process and the final chapter on the future and potential of ion plating is particularly useful. This practical reference offers the first full treatment of an increasingly important industial process. It is specifically designed to assist engineers and researchers in applying the ion coating process to products within their particular industries. Beginning with a discussion on the physics and unique characteristics of ion coating, it goes on to detail the techniques and components involved in the ion coating system, the characteristics of different coatings, and the application of the process in a wide range of industries. It outlines the present uses of ion coating in the aerospace and aircraft industries, as well as its more current uses in ceramics, machine tools, optics, and other fields. Coverage also includes new developments in the field.