High Current Laser Arc (HCLA) evaporation is an efficient coating process based on a vacuum arc discharge. The precise control over the timing and location of the discharge enables its use as a linear coating source in larger production equipment. This technology is particularly suitable for the deposition of carbon layers.
Material is removed from the cathode (e.g., carbon) by a pulsed vacuum arc discharge. A laser is used to ignite this discharge, and the position of the discharge is controlled by varying the point of impact of the laser. Very high pulse currents lead to a high proportion of ionized cathode material.
This technology enables, among other applications, the deposition of tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) coatings with a thickness of up to 30 µm. To maintain not only the high hardness but also the low coefficients of friction, post-treatment (polishing) of the coatings is recommended.
Additionally, particle filters can also be integrated between the system and the coating unit. These coatings can be used for a wide variety of tribological applications.
Thanks to coating temperatures of up to 180 °C, the HCLA technology is also suitable for the ta-C coating of sensitive polymer materials.
In addition to tribological applications, carbon layers deposited by HCLA can be used as conductive and corrosion-protective coatings in electrochemical applications, making use of the targeted control of the sp²-sp³ ratio.
Due to its scalability, the HCLA technology is also employed for barrier coatings, for example as moisture barriers.
Would you like to learn more? Then click on the content below or contact us directly.
