A coating device and method based on multi-arc ion plating and ion beam enhanced electron beam evaporation

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of based on multi-arc ion plating and ion beam enhanced electron beam evaporation coating device and method, it is related to material processing technical field.Coating chamber is equipped with heater, ion beam enhanced electron beam evaporation assembly includes multiple groups of matched arrangement crucible, electron gun, deflection coil and high-current ion source, multi-arc ion plating assembly includes cathode arc evaporation source array, workpiece motion control mechanism is connected bias power supply, vacuum and gas supply system carries out vacuumizing and gas supply, water supply and power supply system carries out water cooling and heat dissipation and provides operating power supply for each component, control system is respectively connected with each component Signal is used for real-time control and adjustment of each process parameter in deposition process.Integrated structure design and process synergy can complete multi-arc ion cleaning, multi-arc priming and high-current ion enhanced electron beam deposition composite coating full process in coating chamber, simplify operation process, improve coating efficiency and quality.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of materials processing technology, specifically a coating apparatus and method based on multi-arc ion plating and ion beam enhanced electron beam evaporation. Background Technology

[0002] Physical vapor deposition (PVD) technology, due to its ability to produce coatings with high hardness, low coefficient of friction, and excellent wear and corrosion resistance, has been widely used in key fields such as machining, aerospace, automotive manufacturing, and precision instruments. Its core function is to improve the service life and reliability of workpiece surfaces. Within the PVD technology system, multi-arc ion plating and electron beam evaporation coating are the most widely used mainstream technologies.

[0003] Multi-arc ion plating technology achieves the evaporation and ionization of the target material through the instantaneous high temperature of arc discharge, and deposits it on the workpiece surface under the action of a bias electric field. The significant advantages of this technology are its extremely high ionization rate and high incident particle energy, resulting in a dense film layer with extremely strong adhesion between the film layer and the substrate, making it very suitable as a base coat or hard coating. However, this technology sprays micron-sized molten droplets and deposits them on the coating surface, leading to increased surface roughness and friction coefficient, making it prone to peeling off and forming holes during subsequent use. In addition, its deposition rate is slower than that of electron beam evaporation coating technology.

[0004] Electron beam evaporation coating technology utilizes a high-energy electron beam to bombard a target material in a crucible, causing it to melt, evaporate, and ultimately deposit onto the workpiece surface. Its key advantages are rapid evaporation rate, high film formation efficiency, and, due to atomic-level evaporation, a smooth coating surface with low roughness. However, the evaporation particles in this technology have relatively low energy and insufficient ionization rate, resulting in a loose columnar crystalline structure in the formed film, poor density, and significantly lower film-substrate adhesion compared to multi-arc ion plating technology, making it prone to peeling under harsh conditions.

[0005] To address the shortcomings of single-technology approaches, several technological improvements have been researched in related fields: CN111235531A discloses a dual-vacuum-chamber high-power electron beam evaporation continuous coating apparatus, which consists of a multi-functional chamber and an electron beam evaporation chamber. The two chambers are isolated and connected by a gate valve. The multi-functional chamber is equipped with a multi-arc ion plating device, and the electron beam evaporation chamber is equipped with an electron gun device and a crucible device. A transmission mechanism enables the workpiece to move between the two chambers, thereby achieving continuous connection between the multi-arc ion plating and electron beam evaporation processes. CN115110040A discloses an independent dual-chamber electron beam evaporation coating device, which connects the upper and lower chambers through an isolation valve. The method involves isolating and equipping the upper and lower chambers with ion sources to improve the synergy between etching and deposition during electron beam evaporation deposition. CN102492924A discloses a self-ion bombardment-assisted electron beam evaporation device and a deposition method using it. This device consists of an electron beam evaporation apparatus, a radio frequency glow discharge system, and a vacuum system. It enhances ion bombardment by introducing radio frequency glow discharge during electron beam evaporation to improve film adhesion. CN103469164A discloses a device and method for plasma-activated electron beam physical vapor deposition. This method uses multiple crucibles within a vacuum chamber and introduces thermionic electrons from niobium to facilitate evaporation. The vapor is ionized and deposited on the substrate to form a coating; CN103966556B discloses a method and apparatus for ion plating to deposit an MCrAlX protective coating, which uses an electron gun to bombard a crucible to evaporate the target material, and induces a high-density plasma vapor by an AC arc source to generate a high-density plasma vapor, which is then deposited under the bias voltage of the substrate to form a coating; CN114717522B discloses a multi-arc ion plating apparatus, which simultaneously sets a plating arc source and an etching arc source in a vacuum chamber, and uses an etching component to perform surface pretreatment before deposition to improve the film-substrate adhesion and improve the film quality; CN220887664U A multi-arc ion plating apparatus is disclosed, which improves the uniformity of plasma action and reduces film defects by optimizing the vacuum chamber structure and target arrangement (such as compact arrangement of multiple targets); CN108774728B discloses an ion source multi-arc columnar composite PVD coating system and coating method, which achieves uniform etching and uniform coating of workpiece through columnar / circular arc mechanism; CN102534514A discloses a multi-arc ion plating method, which introduces a hollow cathode electron gun to emit plasma electron beam while emitting plasma from a multi-arc source, thereby achieving composite ion plating to reduce large particle defects and improve coating performance.

[0006] In summary, despite various attempts made with existing technologies, no composite coating deposition scheme has yet emerged in the field of coating technology that organically combines multi-arc ion plating with high-current ion-enhanced electron beam technology. It is difficult to simultaneously take into account key performance indicators such as film density, adhesion, surface smoothness, and deposition efficiency to meet the higher quality requirements of high-end equipment for protective coatings on workpiece surfaces. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To address the shortcomings of the prior art, this invention provides a coating apparatus and method based on multi-arc ion plating and ion beam enhanced electron beam evaporation. Through integrated structural design and process coordination, it can complete the entire process of multi-arc ion cleaning, multi-arc priming, and high-current ion enhanced electron beam deposition of composite coatings in the coating chamber, simplifying the operation process and improving coating efficiency and quality.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0009] A coating apparatus based on multi-arc ion plating and ion beam enhanced electron beam evaporation includes a coating chamber, an ion beam enhanced electron beam evaporation component, a multi-arc ion plating component, a workpiece motion control mechanism, a vacuum and gas supply system, a water and power supply system, and a control system.

[0010] The coating chamber is a sealed vacuum chamber equipped with a heater;

[0011] The ion beam enhanced electron beam evaporation assembly includes multiple sets of crucibles, electron guns, deflection coils, and high-current ion sources arranged in a coordinated manner. The crucibles and the high-current ion sources are both located at the bottom of the coating chamber. The electron guns are installed on the inner side wall of the coating chamber and are correspondingly matched with the opening of the crucibles. The deflection coils are installed between the corresponding crucibles and electron guns, so that the electron beam emitted by the electron guns can be deflected and bombarded on the target material inside the crucibles.

[0012] The multi-arc ion plating assembly includes a cathode arc evaporation source array and is installed on the inner side wall of the coating chamber;

[0013] The workpiece motion control mechanism is located between two opposite side walls at the top of the coating chamber. It adopts a planetary revolution and rotation design for mounting and installing workpieces and samples. The workpiece motion control mechanism is connected to a bias power supply to apply bias voltage to the workpieces and samples.

[0014] The vacuum and gas supply system is connected to the top of the coating chamber through the main gas extraction pipeline to perform vacuuming, and is connected to the coating chamber and the high-current ion source through the gas supply pipeline to supply reaction gas and working gas.

[0015] The water and power supply system provides water cooling for the electron gun, high-current ion source and cathode arc evaporation source array, and provides working power for each component.

[0016] The control system establishes signal connections with each component for real-time control and adjustment of various process parameters during the deposition process.

[0017] Furthermore, the workpiece motion control mechanism employs two symmetrically arranged planetary metal turntables, each planetary metal turntable comprising a sun disk and a plurality of evenly distributed planetary disks, with connecting rods or clamps installed between the two opposing planetary disks.

[0018] Furthermore, the vacuum and gas supply system consists of two parts: a vacuum pump group and a gas supply group. The vacuum pump group is an integrated assembly of a mechanical pump and a molecular pump, and the gas supply group uses a combined gas cylinder and is equipped with a pressure reducing valve and a gas flow meter.

[0019] Furthermore, a gate valve is installed between the vacuum pump unit and the main extraction pipeline, and a throttle valve is installed inside the main extraction pipeline.

[0020] A coating method based on multi-arc ion plating and ion beam enhanced electron beam evaporation includes the following steps:

[0021] Step 1, Pre-treatment of workpieces and samples: Select workpieces and samples, clean, dry and cool them in sequence, and then mask and encapsulate the non-coated areas.

[0022] Step 2, clamping and vacuum environment construction: The pre-treated workpiece and sample are mounted on the workpiece motion control mechanism and the rotation and revolution speeds are set. The corresponding target materials are filled into the cathode arc evaporation source array and crucible respectively. The coating chamber is sealed and evacuated until the background vacuum level is reached and then heated to the working temperature.

[0023] Step 3, Multi-arc ion cleaning and surface activation: Start the bias power supply to apply a negative bias voltage to the workpiece and sample, and start the multi-arc ion plating assembly for cleaning and activation;

[0024] Step 4: Multi-arc ion plating for underlayer deposition: The multi-arc ion plating assembly is used to deposit the underlayer on the workpiece and sample. During the deposition process, the workpiece motion control mechanism is kept rotating, and the bias power supply is adjusted to apply the deposition bias to the workpiece and sample.

[0025] Step 5, Deposition of Ion Beam Enhanced Electron Beam Composite Protective Coating: After the underlayer deposition is completed, the multi-arc ion plating assembly is turned off, and the ion beam enhanced electron beam evaporation assembly is started. The reactive gas and working gas are introduced into the coating chamber and the high-current ion source. The electron beam generated by the electron gun is adjusted by the deflection coil to bombard the target material in the crucible and evaporate it. The high-current ion source generates an ion beam to activate the evaporated particles and reactive gas. The process conditions are adjusted as needed to continue depositing the composite protective coating on the underlayer.

[0026] Step 6, Cooling, Removal and Performance Verification: After the composite protective coating is deposited, the coating device is turned off. After cooling and heat dissipation and restoration of atmospheric pressure, the coated workpiece and sample are removed, and the sample is subjected to performance testing and verification.

[0027] Furthermore, in step 4, the bottom layer deposition forms a multi-layer gradient / multi-layer composite bottom layer structure through periodic repetition.

[0028] Furthermore, in step 5, the accelerating voltage of the electron gun is 5~15kV, the beam current is 100~500mA, and the operating current of the high-current ion source is 50~100A.

[0029] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0030] 1. This invention adopts an integrated structural design, integrating a multi-arc ion plating component, an electron gun, and a high-current ion source within the same vacuum chamber. It can sequentially complete the entire process of multi-arc ion cleaning, multi-arc priming, and high-current ion-enhanced electron beam deposition of a composite coating in a single evacuation process. This achieves synergistic coating of multi-arc ion plating and high-current ion-enhanced electron beam evaporation, avoiding repeated loading, unloading, transfer, and multiple evacuations of workpieces between different devices. This helps to simplify the operation process, improve coating efficiency, reduce the risk of secondary contamination of the workpiece surface, and ensure the stability of coating quality.

[0031] 2. This invention can be controlled independently. The crucible, working gas and reaction gas used are independent of each other, which has a high degree of process flexibility. The process parameters can be flexibly adjusted according to the actual application requirements to achieve customized deposition of different composite coatings.

[0032] 3. This invention optimizes the spatial arrangement for coating requirements of large workpieces. Through the reasonable layout of the cathode arc evaporation source array and the high-current ion source, it ensures that the working area of ​​multi-arc ion plating and high-current ion-enhanced electron beam evaporation can cover the entire workpiece. At the same time, the workpiece motion control mechanism adopts a planetary revolution and rotation design to improve the deposition uniformity of the coating, which is helpful for coating applications on complex curved workpieces. Attached Figure Description

[0033] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the coating chamber of the coating apparatus of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the vacuum and gas supply system connection of the coating device of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the water supply and power supply system connection of the coating device of the present invention.

[0036] In the diagram: 1. Coating chamber; 2. Crucible; 3. Electron gun; 4. Deflection coil; 5. Gas supply line; 6. High-current ion source; 7. Workpiece motion control mechanism; 8. Main exhaust pipe; 9. Connecting rod; 10. Cathode arc evaporation source array; 11. Vacuum pump group; 12. Gas supply group; 13. Vacuum and gas supply system; 14. Water and power supply system; 15. Control system; 16. Bias power supply; 17. Water supply group; 18. Power supply group. Detailed Implementation

[0037] The technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the invention, not all embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0038] like Figures 1-3 As shown, a coating apparatus based on multi-arc ion plating and ion beam enhanced electron beam evaporation includes a coating chamber 1, an ion beam enhanced electron beam evaporation assembly, a multi-arc ion plating assembly, a workpiece motion control mechanism 7, a vacuum and gas supply system 13, a water and power supply system 14, a control system 15, and a bias power supply 16. The connection relationships and structural features of each component are as follows:

[0039] The coating chamber 1 is a sealed vacuum chamber equipped with a heater that can regulate and maintain the internal working temperature, providing a stable temperature environment for coating deposition.

[0040] The ion beam enhanced electron beam evaporation assembly includes multiple sets of crucibles 2, electron guns 3, deflection coils 4, and high-current ion sources 6 arranged in a coordinated manner. Figure 1 As shown, where:

[0041] The crucible 2 is located at the bottom of the coating chamber 1 and is used to hold the target material to be evaporated during the ion beam enhanced electron beam evaporation stage.

[0042] The electron gun 3 is installed on the inner wall of the coating chamber 1 and corresponds to the opening of the crucible 2 to generate a high-energy-density electron beam.

[0043] The deflection coil 4 is installed on the inner wall of the coating chamber 1 between the corresponding crucible 2 and the electron gun 3. The deflection coil 4 is located on the electron beam emission path of the electron gun 3, and the magnetic field it generates is perpendicular to the electron beam emission direction. It is used to deflect the electron beam emitted by the electron gun 3 to accurately bombard the target material in the crucible 2.

[0044] The high-current ion source 6 is located at the bottom of the coating chamber 1 and is used to generate a high-intensity ion beam to activate the reactive gas and the metal atoms evaporated by the electron beam.

[0045] The multi-arc ion plating assembly includes a cathode arc evaporation source array 10, which is fixed to the inner wall of the coating chamber 1 to provide metal plasma for ion cleaning of the workpiece surface and deposition of the composite coating underlayer.

[0046] The workpiece motion control mechanism 7 is located between two opposite side walls at the top of the coating chamber 1. Its main body consists of two symmetrically arranged planetary metal turntables. Each planetary metal turntable includes a sun disk and multiple planetary disks evenly distributed and coordinated. A connecting rod 9 (or a suitable fixture can be used to replace it) is installed between the two opposite planetary disks to mount multiple workpieces and samples. One of the two planetary metal turntables is driven by a motor as the active component and the other as the driven component. The connecting rod 9 can rotate with the planetary disk and revolve with the sun disk.

[0047] The vacuum and gas supply system 13 consists of two parts: a vacuum pump group 11 and a gas supply group 12. Figure 2 As shown, where:

[0048] The vacuum pump unit 11 is connected to the top of the coating chamber 1 through the main extraction pipe 8, and is used to perform vacuum treatment inside the coating chamber 1 to create a vacuum environment. The vacuum pump unit 11 is an integrated assembly of a mechanical pump and a molecular pump, and a gate valve is provided between the vacuum pump unit 11 and the main extraction pipe 8 to realize vacuum and isolation control of the coating chamber 1. A throttle valve is installed in the main extraction pipe 8, and the working gas pressure inside the coating chamber 1 can be precisely controlled by adjusting the opening of the throttle valve.

[0049] The gas supply group 12 uses a combination gas cylinder and is equipped with a pressure reducing valve and a gas flow meter. After the gas supplied by the combination gas cylinder flows out, it is reduced by the pressure reducing valve and the flow rate is precisely controlled by the gas flow meter. The gas supply group 12 is connected to the coating chamber 1 and the high-current ion source 6 through the gas supply pipeline 5. It is used to introduce reaction gas (such as nitrogen) into the coating chamber 1 and at the same time to introduce working gas (such as argon) into the high-current ion source 6.

[0050] The water supply and power supply system 14 consists of two parts: a water supply group 17 and a power supply group 18. Figure 3 As shown, where:

[0051] The water supply group 17 is connected to the electron gun 3, the high-current ion source 6 and the cathode arc evaporation source array 10 respectively. It removes the heat generated during the operation of the equipment by circulating cooling water, ensuring the stable operation of the equipment.

[0052] The power supply group 18 is connected to the electron gun 3, the high-current ion source 6, the cathode arc evaporation source array 10, the vacuum and gas supply system 13, the control system 15, and the bias power supply 16, respectively, to provide a stable working power supply for each component.

[0053] The control system 15 establishes signal connections with the water and power supply system 14, the vacuum and gas supply system 13, the electron gun 3, the high-current ion source 6, the cathode arc evaporation source array 10, the workpiece motion control mechanism 7, and the bias power supply 16, respectively, for real-time control and adjustment of various process parameters during the deposition process.

[0054] The bias power supply 16 is connected to the workpiece motion control mechanism 7 and is used to apply bias voltage to the workpiece during the deposition process.

[0055] like Figures 1-3 As shown, a coating method based on multi-arc ion plating and ion beam enhanced electron beam evaporation includes the following steps:

[0056] Step 1: Pre-processing of workpieces and samples;

[0057] A sample of the same material as the workpiece was selected for subsequent performance testing. Pretreatment was performed on both the workpiece and the sample to be coated: First, a cleaning solution containing cleaning agent and rust inhibitor was prepared, and the workpiece and sample were sequentially sprayed, ultrasonically cleaned, and ultrasonically rinsed to thoroughly remove surface oil and impurities. Then, the workpiece and sample were air-dried and then heated (drying temperature 60~120℃, drying time 20~60min) to ensure the surface of the workpiece and sample was clean and free of moisture. Finally, the surface was cooled to room temperature, and the non-coating areas of the workpiece and sample were masked and sealed, leaving only the area to be coated.

[0058] Step 2: Clamping and vacuum environment setup;

[0059] The pretreated workpiece and the accompanying sample are mounted on the workpiece motion control mechanism 7 inside the coating chamber 1, and their rotation and revolution speeds are set. Multi-arc ion plating targets are installed on the cathode arc evaporation source array 10. Ion beam enhanced electron beam evaporation targets are filled into the crucible 2. The coating chamber 1 is sealed, and the vacuum pump group 11 is started to evacuate it until the base vacuum level (e.g., 1×10⁻⁶) is reached. -2 ~1×10 -3 Pa), the coating chamber 1 is heated to the working temperature (e.g., 300~500℃).

[0060] Step 3: Multi-arc ion cleaning and surface activation;

[0061] Start the bias power supply 16 to apply a negative bias voltage (which can be a DC negative bias voltage or a pulse negative bias voltage) to the workpiece and the furnace sample, and start the multi-arc ion plating assembly to perform multi-arc ion cleaning and surface activation on the workpiece and the furnace sample.

[0062] Step 4: Multi-arc ion plating for underlayer deposition;

[0063] The multi-arc ion plating assembly deposits a base layer on the workpiece and the furnace sample. During the deposition process, the workpiece motion control mechanism 7 is kept rotating, and the bias power supply 16 is adjusted to apply a deposition bias voltage (such as -50~-150V) to the workpiece and the furnace sample. The base layer can be periodically repeated to form a multi-layer gradient / multi-layer composite base layer structure.

[0064] Step 5: Deposition of ion beam enhanced electron beam composite protective coating;

[0065] After the underlayer deposition is completed, the multi-arc ion plating assembly is shut down, and the ion beam enhanced electron beam evaporation assembly is started. Reactive gas and working gas are introduced into the coating chamber 1 and the high-current ion source 6 through the gas supply group 12 to continue depositing the composite protective coating on the underlayer. In this process, the electron beam generated by the electron gun 3 is adjusted by the deflection coil 4 to bombard the target material in the crucible 2 for electron beam evaporation. The accelerating voltage and beam current of the electron gun 3 are selected within the process range (accelerating voltage can be 5~15kV, beam current can be 100~500mA). The high-current ion source 6 generates a high-intensity ion beam to activate the evaporated particles and reactive gas (working current can be 50~100A). During the deposition process, according to the composition and structure requirements of the composite protective coating, the working gas and reactive gas of a set type and ratio are introduced through the gas supply group 12. The process conditions such as workpiece bias voltage, ion source parameters, and deposition time are adjusted through the control system 15 to obtain a composite protective coating that meets the requirements.

[0066] Step 6: Cooling, wafer removal, and performance verification;

[0067] After the composite protective coating is deposited, the coating device is shut down. After the coating device cools down and atmospheric pressure is restored, the coated workpiece and the furnace sample are taken out. The furnace sample is subjected to material characterization and testing, such as microstructure, film thickness, microhardness and film-substrate adhesion. Targeted performance tests (such as solid particle erosion tests) are carried out according to the application scenario requirements to verify whether the deposition effect meets the design requirements.

[0068] This invention introduces an ion beam source to construct an ion beam enhanced electron beam evaporation (IBE) deposition assembly based on electron beam evaporation. Utilizing high-current ion-enhanced electron beam technology, it activates the evaporated metal atoms and reactive gas molecules, increasing the ionization rate of atoms and molecules. Compared to conventional electron beam evaporation equipment, it achieves a higher deposition speed and better deposition effect. Simultaneously, it integrates a multi-arc ion plating assembly for cleaning the workpiece surface and depositing the underlayer. This assembly can work synergistically with IBE deposition, thus overcoming the shortcomings of existing deposition devices and enabling the preparation of high-quality composite protective coatings on the workpiece surface.

[0069] Example

[0070] This embodiment uses the coating of a Roots pump rotor as an example to illustrate the method of the present invention in detail, as follows:

[0071] (1) Pre-treatment of workpieces and samples: Select the Roots pump rotor as the workpiece to be plated. Heat deionized water to about 50°C, add appropriate amount of cleaning agent and rust inhibitor, and spray the rotor in sequence for cleaning, ultrasonic cleaning and ultrasonic rinsing to remove oil and impurities from the surface. After cleaning, blow dry with compressed air or nitrogen and place it in an oven at 80°C for about 30 minutes.

[0072] After cooling to room temperature, the non-coating areas such as the rotor shaft head and bearing positions are shielded and sealed with aluminum foil tape or special metal tooling, leaving only the rotor profile surface as the area to be coated.

[0073] (2) Clamping and vacuum environment construction: Fix the pre-treated Roots pump rotor on the workpiece motion control mechanism 7 in the coating chamber 1 and set the motion parameters: the revolution speed is about 2 minutes per revolution and the rotation speed is about 5 seconds per revolution to ensure the uniformity of coating.

[0074] Pure chromium (Cr) target material is loaded onto the cathode arc evaporation source array 10, and chromium-silicon (Cr-Si) mixed target material is loaded into the crucible 2 (the composition is kept uniform by taking advantage of the similar evaporation rates of silicon and chromium).

[0075] Seal the coating chamber 1 and start the vacuum pump unit 11 to evacuate the vacuum until the background vacuum level is better than 5.0 × 10⁻⁶. -3 Pa, then turn on the heater to raise the temperature inside the coating chamber 1 and stabilize it at an operating temperature of about 450°C.

[0076] (3) Multi-arc ion cleaning and surface activation: The overall working pressure in the coating chamber 1 is controlled at about 0.5 Pa by adjusting the vacuum pump group 11 and the throttle valve.

[0077] Turn on all 20 cathode arc evaporation sources in four rows (only the target source corresponding to the workpiece position is turned on), and set the multi-arc current to 100A. Introduce argon gas into the coating chamber 1 through the gas supply group 12 at a flow rate of about 300 SCCM to maintain the gas pressure at about 0.4 Pa during multi-arc ion cleaning.

[0078] Simultaneously, a high-voltage pulse negative bias is applied to the workpiece by bias power supply 16, with the bias amplitude set to -600V, frequency 100kHz, and duty cycle 90%. High-energy ions are used to bombard and clean the rotor surface, and the cleaning time lasts for 30 minutes.

[0079] (4) Multi-arc ion plating for underlayer deposition: After cleaning, keep the workpiece motion control mechanism 7 at constant speed and lower the workpiece bias voltage to -80V. Deposit the underlayer using multi-arc ion plating technology. Each deposition cycle lasts approximately 40 minutes and includes the following processes:

[0080] Depositing a Cr metal layer: Argon gas is introduced only to deposit a pure Cr layer, which takes about 15 minutes.

[0081] Deposition of Cr-CrN transition layer: In addition to argon gas, nitrogen gas is introduced at a flow rate of about 1000 SCCM to deposit the Cr+CrN transition layer for about 5 minutes.

[0082] Depositing a hard CrN layer: Turn off the argon gas, adjust the nitrogen flow rate to 2000 SCCM, and deposit the CrN layer for about 15 minutes;

[0083] Deposition of buffer transition layer: readjust the gas ratio and deposit a transition layer for hardness buffering to improve the bonding strength, for about 5 minutes.

[0084] The above process is one cycle. In this embodiment, the cycle is repeated 3 times, with a total priming time of about 120 minutes, thereby obtaining a Cr / CrN multilayer gradient priming layer with excellent adhesion on the substrate surface.

[0085] (5) Deposition of ion beam enhanced electron beam composite protective coating: After the underlayer deposition is completed, the electron gun 3 and the high-current ion source 6 are turned on to deposit the functional layer.

[0086] The parameters of electron gun 3 were adjusted to a high voltage of 10kV and a beam current of 300mA to bombard the chromium-silicon (Cr-Si) mixed target material in crucible 2.

[0087] Argon gas of approximately 40 SCCM is introduced into the high-current ion source 6 through the gas supply group 12, and nitrogen gas of approximately 100 SCCM and carbon source gas acetylene (C2H2) of approximately 40 SCCM are introduced into the coating chamber 1.

[0088] The working air pressure is strictly controlled at approximately 0.1 Pa by using a throttle valve.

[0089] Simultaneously turn on the high-current ion source 6 and set the current to approximately 70A to assist in deposition.

[0090] Under these conditions, a chromium-silicon-carbon-nitrogen (CrSiCN) composite coating with high hardness was obtained by deposition for approximately 60 minutes.

[0091] (6) Cooling, unloading and performance verification: After the deposition is completed, the coating device is turned off and the coating chamber 1 is allowed to cool naturally to a temperature of less than 80°C under vacuum. Then, the coating chamber 1 is slowly filled with gas to restore atmospheric pressure. The coated Roots pump rotor workpiece is taken out to complete the preparation process and subsequent performance verification is carried out.

[0092] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that the invention can be implemented in other forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered illustrative and non-limiting in all respects, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Thus, all variations falling within the meaning and scope of the equivalents of the claims are intended to be included within the present invention. No reference numerals in the claims should be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

[0093] Furthermore, it should be understood that although this specification describes embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This narrative style is merely for clarity. Those skilled in the art should consider the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A coating apparatus based on multi-arc ion plating and ion beam enhanced electron beam evaporation, characterized in that: It includes a coating chamber (1), an ion beam enhanced electron beam evaporation assembly, a multi-arc ion plating assembly, a workpiece motion control mechanism (7), a vacuum and gas supply system (13), a water and power supply system (14), and a control system (15). The coating chamber (1) is a closed vacuum chamber equipped with a heater; The ion beam enhanced electron beam evaporation assembly includes multiple sets of crucibles (2), electron guns (3), deflection coils (4), and high-current ion sources (6) arranged in a coordinated manner. The crucibles (2) and the high-current ion sources (6) are both located at the bottom of the coating chamber (1). The electron guns (3) are installed on the inner side wall of the coating chamber (1) and are correspondingly matched with the opening of the crucibles (2). The deflection coils (4) are installed between the corresponding crucibles (2) and electron guns (3) so that the electron beam emitted by the electron guns (3) can be deflected and bombarded on the target material inside the crucibles (2). The multi-arc ion plating assembly includes a cathode arc evaporation source array (10) and is installed on the inner side wall of the coating chamber (1); The workpiece motion control mechanism (7) is located between the two opposite side walls at the top of the coating chamber (1). It adopts a planetary revolution and rotation design for mounting and installing workpieces and samples. The workpiece motion control mechanism (7) is connected to a bias power supply (16) to apply bias voltage to the workpieces and samples. The vacuum and gas supply system (13) is connected to the top of the coating chamber (1) through the main gas extraction pipe (8) to perform vacuuming, and is connected to the coating chamber (1) and the high-current ion source (6) through the gas supply line (5) to supply reaction gas and working gas; The water supply and power supply system (14) provides water cooling for the electron gun (3), high-current ion source (6) and cathode arc evaporation source array (10), and provides working power for each component; The control system (15) establishes signal connections with each component for real-time control and adjustment of various process parameters during the deposition process.

2. The coating apparatus based on multi-arc ion plating and ion beam enhanced electron beam evaporation according to claim 1, characterized in that: The workpiece motion control mechanism (7) adopts two symmetrically arranged planetary metal turntables, each planetary metal turntable including a sun disk and multiple planetary disks evenly distributed and coordinated, with a connecting rod (9) or a clamp installed between the two opposing planetary disks.

3. The coating apparatus based on multi-arc ion plating and ion beam enhanced electron beam evaporation according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vacuum and gas supply system (13) consists of two parts: a vacuum pump group (11) and a gas supply group (12). The vacuum pump group (11) is an integrated assembly of a mechanical pump and a molecular pump. The gas supply group (12) uses a combined gas cylinder and is equipped with a pressure reducing valve and a gas flow meter.

4. The coating apparatus based on multi-arc ion plating and ion beam enhanced electron beam evaporation according to claim 3, characterized in that: A gate valve is installed between the vacuum pump unit (11) and the main extraction pipeline (8), and a throttle valve is installed inside the main extraction pipeline (8).

5. A coating method based on multi-arc ion plating and ion beam enhanced electron beam evaporation, characterized in that: According to claim 1, the coating apparatus based on multi-arc ion plating and ion beam enhanced electron beam evaporation includes the following steps: Step 1, Pre-treatment of workpieces and samples: Select workpieces and samples, clean, dry and cool them in sequence, and then mask and encapsulate the non-coated areas. Step 2, clamping and vacuum environment construction: The pre-treated workpiece and sample are installed on the workpiece motion control mechanism (7) and the rotation and revolution speeds are set. The corresponding target materials are filled into the cathode arc evaporation source array (10) and crucible (2) respectively. The coating chamber (1) is sealed and evacuated until the background vacuum level is reached and then heated to the working temperature. Step 3, Multi-arc ion cleaning and surface activation: Start the bias power supply (16) to apply a negative bias voltage to the workpiece and sample, and start the multi-arc ion plating assembly for cleaning and activation; Step 4: Multi-arc ion plating for underlayer deposition: The workpiece and sample are deposited with underlayer through the multi-arc ion plating assembly. During the deposition process, the workpiece motion control mechanism (7) is kept rotating, and the bias power supply (16) is adjusted to apply the deposition bias to the workpiece and sample. Step 5, Deposition of composite protective coating by ion beam enhanced electron beam: After the underlayer deposition is completed, the multi-arc ion plating assembly is turned off and the ion beam enhanced electron beam evaporation assembly is started. The reaction gas and working gas are introduced into the coating chamber (1) and the high-current ion source (6). The electron beam generated by the electron gun (3) is adjusted by the deflection coil (4) to bombard the target material in the crucible (2) with electron beam evaporation. The high-current ion source (6) generates an ion beam to activate the evaporated particles and the reaction gas. The process conditions are adjusted as needed to continue depositing the composite protective coating on the underlayer. Step 6, Cooling, Removal and Performance Verification: After the composite protective coating is deposited, the coating device is turned off. After cooling and heat dissipation and restoration of atmospheric pressure, the coated workpiece and sample are removed, and the sample is subjected to performance testing and verification.

6. The coating method based on multi-arc ion plating and ion beam enhanced electron beam evaporation according to claim 5, characterized in that: In step 4, the bottom layer deposition forms a multi-layer gradient / multi-layer composite bottom layer structure through periodic repetition.

7. The coating method based on multi-arc ion plating and ion beam enhanced electron beam evaporation according to claim 5, characterized in that: In step 5, the accelerating voltage of the electron gun (3) is 5~15kV, the beam current is 100~500mA, and the operating current of the high-current ion source (6) is 50~100A.

Images