Arc-evaporation deposition is normally used to apply wear-resistant coatings to machine tools. However, the substantial distribution of macroparticles associated with this process limits the film quality. To solve this problem, Nanofilm Technologies International Pte Ltd has developed a revolutionary new version of FCVA deposition technology. Our patented technology can produce high quality Tetrahedral Amorphous Carbon (ta-C) coatings, as well as metal, oxides, and other hard coatings to satisfy even the most stringent requirements.

During deposition, a plasma beam with macroparticles and neutral atoms is emitted from the cathodic arc spot by a cathodic vacuum arc process. Unwanted macroparticles and neutrals are then be filtered out by a cross-magnetic and electric field. Only ions within a well-defined energy range are allowed to reach the substrate. Harder, denser and cleaner films can be produced by this technique which satisfy the general requirement for all applications - that the deposited films adhere well on a substrate and have good optical, chemical, electrical and mechanical properties that are predictable and reproducible.

• The FCVA technique produces coating species that are pure ions whose energy is well-defined and tunable for desired coating properties. Carbon and metal films produced by FCVA have more favorable film qualities than those produced using other technologies.

• Our patented technology provides means for plasma scanning that results in excellent uniformity and repeatability. This has also solved the large area deposition issue which is still a major problem in other similar technologies.

• For deposition of ta-C film, our patented technology produces far fewer macroparticles (~1 per cm² compared to ~10³ per cm² produced by other similar technologies). The system produced by Nanofilm has been used successfully for hard disk slider overcoat and some tribological applications.

• Our technology includes a complicated magnetic and electric field configuration in the anode area, making the cathode/anode scaleable and maintaining the output plasma in the form of a beam. This is important for large area high deposition rate applications.

• FCVA also offers low temperature deposition and a high deposition rate, making it the ideal choice for a wide range of applications including coatings on plastics and rubbers.