A filtered cathodic vacuum arc coating system, method and electronic device

Abstract

The application provides a filtering cathode vacuum arc coating system and method and an electronic device, relates to the technical field of ion implantation, and sets a composite magnetic field structure including a guide magnetic field coil, a filtering magnetic field coil and a focusing magnetic field coil on a filtering elbow pipe to realize large-area uniform deposition and improve film mechanical properties through the cooperative work of the coils in the composite magnetic field structure, wherein the guide magnetic field coil is used for introducing a plasma beam into the filtering elbow pipe to reduce transmission loss, the filtering magnetic field coil is used for removing impurity particles in the plasma beam to obtain a high-purity purified plasma beam, and the focusing magnetic field coil is used for scanning path control of the purified plasma beam, thereby effectively solving the problems of incomplete impurity filtering, low plasma utilization and poor large-area deposition uniformity in the prior art.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of ion implantation technology, and in particular to a filter cathode vacuum arc coating system, method and electronic device. Background Technology

[0002] Filtered cathode vacuum arc (FCVA) deposition technology, due to its extremely high plasma ionization rate, can prepare tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) films with high sp³ bond content at relatively low temperatures, showing broad application prospects in the field of hard protective coatings. However, during the cathode vacuum arc discharge process, in addition to generating high-energy carbon ions, micron-sized molten droplets and large-particle neutral impurities are inevitably sputtered from the cathode target surface. If these impurities reach the substrate surface along with the plasma beam, they will cause film surface roughness and inclusion defects, severely degrading the mechanical properties and service life of the film.

[0003] To remove the aforementioned impurities, existing technologies typically employ a bent tube between the arc source and the chamber, utilizing the difference in trajectories between charged and neutral particles in a magnetic field to intercept the impurities. However, existing magnetic filtration devices still suffer from the following shortcomings in ion beam control: firstly, some tiny particles may still penetrate the filter bend and reach the substrate surface, affecting the film quality; secondly, plasma is prone to diffusion during filtration and transmission, leading to low ion utilization and a decreased deposition rate. Furthermore, conventional fixed magnetic fields make it difficult to flexibly control the purified plasma beam, hindering the acquisition of uniformly thick films on large-area substrates.

[0004] There is currently no effective technical solution to the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this application is to provide a filtered cathode vacuum arc coating system, method, and electronic device. By leveraging the coordinated operation of the coils within the composite magnetic field structure, large-area uniform deposition is achieved, and the mechanical properties of the thin film are improved. This effectively solves the problems of incomplete impurity filtration, low plasma utilization, and poor uniformity of large-area deposition in existing technologies.

[0006] In a first aspect, this application provides a filter cathode vacuum arc coating system, comprising: a chamber, a filter bend, a cathode assembly, and a composite magnetic field structure; The composite magnetic field structure includes a guiding magnetic field coil, a filtering magnetic field coil, and a focusing magnetic field coil. The guiding magnetic field coil is disposed on the outer periphery of the second end of the filtering bend, the filtering magnetic field coil is disposed on the outer periphery of the middle section of the filtering bend, and the focusing magnetic field coil is disposed on the outer periphery of the first end of the filtering bend. The focusing magnetic field coil is composed of mutually orthogonal transverse coils and longitudinal coils. The cathode assembly is used to generate a plasma beam. The guiding magnetic field coil is used to introduce the plasma beam into the filter bend. The filtering magnetic field coil is used to form a filtering magnetic field inside the filtering bend, so as to filter impurities in the plasma beam through the filtering magnetic field and obtain a purified plasma beam. The focusing magnetic field coil is used to control the scanning path of the purified plasma beam to deposit on the substrate in the chamber to form a diamond-like film.

[0007] By working together in the composite magnetic field structure, large-area uniform deposition is achieved and the mechanical properties of the thin film are improved. This effectively solves the problems of incomplete impurity filtration, low plasma utilization, and poor uniformity of large-area deposition in the existing technology.

[0008] Optionally, the first end of the filter bend is connected to the chamber, and the cathode assembly is provided at the inlet of the second end of the filter bend. The filter bend is a 90-degree bend.

[0009] The above scheme can significantly reduce the divergence of the plasma beam during transmission and the collision loss with the cavity wall, thereby improving the transmission efficiency and utilization rate of the plasma.

[0010] Optionally, the cathode assembly includes a pneumatic mechanical arc ignition mechanism, a rotation mechanism, and a target material mounted on a rotating base. The rotation mechanism is used to drive the rotating base to rotate so as to drive the target material to rotate. The pneumatic mechanical arc-ignition mechanism is used to ignite the target material, thereby ionizing the target material to form the plasma beam.

[0011] The above technical solution can prevent the electric arc from being fixed on a certain point of the target material for a long time, thereby preventing local over-etching or the formation of deep pits on the target material surface, ensuring the uniformity of target material etching, and thus maintaining the long-term stability of plasma beam composition and intensity.

[0012] Optionally, it also includes a multi-source device, which includes a HiPIMS power supply, a magnetron sputtering source, a cathode arc ignition power supply, a bias power supply, an IET ion source, and an anode layer linear ion source; The HiPIMS power supply is connected to the magnetron sputtering source and is used to drive the magnetron sputtering source in a pulse manner; The magnetron sputtering source is used to deposit a metal transition layer on the substrate surface; The cathode arc ignition power supply is connected to the target in the cathode assembly to provide an arc ignition current to generate the plasma beam. The bias power supply is connected to the substrate and is used to provide a bias voltage to the substrate; The IET ion source is used to perform ion bombardment cleaning on the substrate surface before coating. The linear ion source in the anode layer is used for continuous cleaning during the movement of the substrate or for providing ion-assisted bombardment during the coating process.

[0013] Optionally, a rotating worktable is provided in the chamber, which is used to place the substrate and drive the substrate to rotate.

[0014] Secondly, this application provides a method for vacuum arc coating of a filter cathode, applied to a vacuum arc coating system for a filter cathode as described in any of the first aspects of this application above, the coating method comprising: A plasma beam is generated using a cathode assembly; The plasma beam is introduced into the filter bend using a guiding magnetic field coil; A filtering magnetic field is formed inside the filtering bend using a filtering magnetic field coil, so as to filter impurities in the plasma beam through the filtering magnetic field and obtain a purified plasma beam. By using a focusing magnetic field coil, the scanning path of the purified plasma beam is controlled to deposit a diamond-like film on a substrate in the chamber.

[0015] Optionally, the focusing magnetic field coil includes a transverse coil arranged along the X-axis and a longitudinal coil arranged along the Y-axis. The method of using a focusing magnetic field coil to control the scanning path of the purified plasma beam to deposit a diamond-like carbon film on a substrate in the chamber includes: The transverse coil generates a transverse magnetic field component, and the longitudinal coil generates a longitudinal magnetic field component, so that the transverse magnetic field component and the longitudinal magnetic field component are superimposed to form a total magnetic field, which is used to control the deflection direction of the purified plasma beam. The scanning path is discretized into N consecutive control nodes, and according to the control sequence corresponding to the control nodes, during the dwell time of each control node, the lateral coil and the longitudinal coil are controlled to output the first current and the second current corresponding to the current control node, respectively, so as to deposit a diamond-like film on the substrate; wherein, the first current is the current generated by the lateral coil, the second current is the current generated by the longitudinal coil, and N is an integer greater than one.

[0016] Optionally, before using a focusing magnetic field coil to control the scanning path of the purified plasma beam to deposit a diamond-like carbon film on the substrate in the chamber, the method further includes: The substrate is pretreated with silicon carbide sandpaper to obtain a smooth substrate; A smooth substrate is placed in the chamber; The substrate in the chamber is cleaned using an ion source to remove impurities and oxide layers from the substrate surface and to activate the substrate surface activity, resulting in a clean substrate. A metal transition layer is deposited on a clean substrate.

[0017] Optionally, the metal material of the metal transition layer includes any one of chromium, titanium, tungsten, and aluminum.

[0018] Thirdly, this application provides an electronic device, including a processor, a communication interface, a memory, and a communication bus, wherein the processor, the communication interface, and the memory communicate with each other through the communication bus; Memory, used to store computer programs; When a processor executes a program stored in a memory, it implements the steps in the filtered cathode vacuum arc coating method as described in any of the second aspects of this application above.

[0019] As can be seen from the above, the filter cathode vacuum arc coating system provided in this application, by setting a composite magnetic field structure including a guiding magnetic field coil, a filtering magnetic field coil, and a focusing magnetic field coil on the filter bend, achieves large-area uniform deposition and improves the mechanical properties of the thin film through the coordinated work of each coil in the composite magnetic field structure. Among them, the guiding magnetic field coil is used to introduce the plasma beam into the filter bend to reduce transmission loss, the filtering magnetic field coil is used to remove impurity particles in the plasma beam to obtain a high-purity purified plasma beam, and the focusing magnetic field coil is used to scan the path of the purified plasma beam, realizing flexible control of the plasma beam, thereby effectively solving the problems of incomplete impurity filtration, low plasma utilization rate, and poor uniformity of large-area deposition in the prior art.

[0020] Other features and advantages of this application will be set forth in the following description and will be apparent in part from the description or may be learned by practicing embodiments of this application. The objectives and other advantages of this application may be realized and obtained by means of the structures particularly pointed out in the written description and the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the filter bend provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the multi-source device provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic flowchart of the filter cathode vacuum arc coating method provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0024] Figure 4 A cross-sectional morphology diagram of the carbon film provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0025] Figure 5 Cross-sectional morphology of carbon films prepared using existing technology.

[0026] Figure 6 Cross-sectional morphology diagrams of the carbon film provided in the embodiments of this application under different bias voltages.

[0027] Figure 7 Raman peak diagrams of the carbon film provided in the embodiments of this application under different bias voltages.

[0028] Figure 8 I for the carbon film provided in the embodiments of this application under different bias voltages -D / I -G Ratio diagram.

[0029] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram showing the hardness and Young's modulus of the carbon film provided in the embodiments of this application under different bias conditions.

[0030] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram showing the friction coefficient of the substrate under different bias conditions provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0031] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram showing the average friction coefficient and average wear rate of the substrate under different bias conditions provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0032] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0033] Labeling Explanation: 11. Chamber; 12. Filter bend; 13. Guiding magnetic field coil; 14. Filtering magnetic field coil; 15. Focusing magnetic field coil; 16. Target material; 21. HiPIMS power supply; 22. Pneumatic mechanical arc ignition mechanism; 23. Cathode arc ignition power supply; 24. Bias power supply; 25. IET ion source; 26. Anode layer linear ion source; 27. Substrate; 111. Processor; 112. Communication interface; 113. Memory; 114. Communication bus. Detailed Implementation

[0034] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of the embodiments. The components of the embodiments of this application described and shown in the accompanying drawings can generally be arranged and designed in various different configurations. Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of this application provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed application, but merely represents selected embodiments of this application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0035] It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters in the following figures indicate similar items; therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent figures. Furthermore, in the description of this application, terms such as "first," "second," etc., are used only to distinguish descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0036] Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films, with carbon as their core element, combine the high hardness, chemical inertness, and plasma stability of diamond with the excellent toughness of graphite. They also possess superior self-lubricating and chemically stable properties. Their overall performance hinges on the sp³ / sp² bonding ratio. Tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) films with high sp³ bond content not only exhibit ultra-high hardness and elastic modulus approaching that of natural diamond, but also effectively reduce the coefficient of friction and wear, endowing the films with high wear resistance, corrosion resistance, and a wide bandgap.

[0037] In existing fabrication processes, magnetron sputtering, while capable of large-area uniform deposition, suffers from low ionization rates and weak particle energy, easily forming porous films with insufficient mechanical and protective properties. While cathode vacuum arcing produces high ionization rates, dense films, and strong adhesion, the unstable arc discharge easily generates micron-sized molten particles, resulting in rough film surfaces, inclusion defects, and pore cracks, reducing overall performance and uniformity. Furthermore, it is difficult to precisely control the sp³ bond ratio, making it impossible to balance internal stress and film-substrate adhesion, thus failing to meet the application requirements of high-hardness, precision carbon films under extreme conditions. In addition, the arc spot movement speed of the cathode target is difficult to control stably in existing processes, easily leading to localized overheating and uneven consumption of the target, further affecting plasma stability and carbon film uniformity.

[0038] Based on the above, this application proposes a filter cathode vacuum arc coating system, which aims to solve the problems of incomplete filtration of impurities in the plasma beam leading to a decrease in film quality during the filter cathode vacuum arc coating process, as well as the problems of low ion utilization, decreased deposition rate, and difficulty in achieving uniform deposition on large-area substrates due to easy diffusion of plasma during transmission.

[0039] refer to Figures 1-2 This application provides a filter cathode vacuum arc coating system, including: a chamber 11, a filter bend 12, a cathode assembly, and a composite magnetic field structure; The composite magnetic field structure includes a guiding magnetic field coil 13, a filtering magnetic field coil 14, and a focusing magnetic field coil 15. The guiding magnetic field coil 13 is located on the outer periphery of the second end of the filtering bend 12, the filtering magnetic field coil 14 is located on the outer periphery of the middle section of the filtering bend 12, and the focusing magnetic field coil 15 is located on the outer periphery of the first end of the filtering bend 12. The focusing magnetic field coil 15 is composed of mutually orthogonal transverse coils and longitudinal coils. The cathode assembly is used to generate a plasma beam; The guiding magnetic field coil 13 is used to introduce the plasma beam into the filter bend 12; The filter magnetic field coil 14 is used to form a filter magnetic field inside the filter bend 12 so as to filter impurities in the plasma beam through the filter magnetic field and obtain a purified plasma beam. The focusing magnetic field coil 15 is used to control the scanning path of the purified plasma beam to deposit a diamond-like film on the substrate 27 in the chamber 11.

[0040] The scanning path refers to the trajectory of the purified plasma beam moving on the surface of the substrate 27 under the control of the focusing magnetic field coil 15. The uniform deposition of the thin film can be achieved by adjusting the scanning path.

[0041] Specifically, the cathode assembly is used to generate a plasma beam. For example, the cathode assembly can use a high-purity graphite target 16 with a purity of 99.99% as the cathode. The target 16 is evaporated and ionized through arc discharge, thereby generating a plasma beam containing high-energy carbon ions. To ensure the long-term stable operation and uniform ablation of the target 16, the cathode assembly can be equipped with a gear-driven rotation mechanism to drive the target 16 to rotate at a speed of 5 r / min to 15 r / min, and continuously cooled by a circulating water cooling system at 20℃ to 25℃. In addition, a pneumatic mechanical arc-ignition mechanism 22 can be provided. The arc-ignition needle in the pneumatic mechanical arc-ignition mechanism 22 consists of a high-purity graphite block and a 304 stainless steel clamp, automatically igniting the target 16 every 9 seconds to ensure uniform ablation of the target 16 surface, thereby significantly improving the utilization rate of the target 16.

[0042] The guiding magnetic field coil 13 is used to introduce the plasma beam into the filter bend 12. After the cathode assembly generates the plasma beam, the guiding magnetic field coil 13 generates a magnetic field that applies a Lorentz force to the charged plasma particles, thereby effectively confining and guiding the plasma beam into the inlet of the filter bend 12. This guiding effect prevents unnecessary diffusion of the plasma beam before it enters the filtration area, ensuring the efficiency of subsequent filtration processes.

[0043] The filtering magnetic field coil 14 is used to form a filtering magnetic field inside the filtering bend 12, so as to filter impurities in the plasma beam and obtain a purified plasma beam. In an optional embodiment, the filtering bend 12 adopts a 90° bend design, with the included angle of the intersecting straight lines on its two end faces being 90°. The filtering magnetic field coil 14 is set on the outer periphery of the middle section of the filtering bend 12. After a direct current is applied, a curved magnetic field is formed inside the bend. Under the binding effect of the magnetic field, charged carbon ions will fly along the curved trajectory of the magnetic field, while uncharged particles in the beam, such as large carbon clusters or debris, cannot respond to the effect of the magnetic field and are mostly blocked or deviated from their original paths, colliding and depositing on the wall of the bend, thus being effectively filtered out. Through the above steps, the problems of easy formation of loose porous film layers and particulate contamination in traditional preparation processes are effectively solved, ensuring that the plasma beam entering the chamber 11 has high purity.

[0044] A focusing magnetic field coil 15 is used to control the scanning path of the purified plasma beam for deposition on the substrate 27 in the chamber 11 to form a diamond-like carbon film. Specifically, the focusing magnetic field coil 15 is located on the outer periphery of the first end of the filter bend 12 and consists of mutually orthogonal transverse and longitudinal coils. By supplying a DC current of 2A to 20A to the focusing magnetic field coil 15, the focusing magnetic field coil 15 can regulate the purified plasma beam. The transverse coil is arranged along the X-axis to generate a transverse magnetic field component, controlling the deflection of the purified plasma beam along the X-axis of the chamber. The longitudinal coil is arranged along the Y-axis to generate a longitudinal magnetic field component, controlling the deflection of the purified plasma beam along the Y-axis of the chamber. By changing the current magnitude of the transverse and longitudinal coils, the magnitude and direction of the superimposed magnetic field can be changed, thereby achieving scanning control of the purified plasma beam, increasing the effective deposition area, and improving the uniformity of the film to meet the coating requirements of large-area workpieces.

[0045] In some embodiments, the first end of the filter bend 12 is connected to the chamber 11, and a cathode assembly is provided at the inlet of the second end of the filter bend 12. The filter bend 12 is a 90-degree bend.

[0046] Among them, a 90-degree bend refers to a bend in which the angle between the straight lines on the two end faces of the bend is 90°.

[0047] Specifically, this application optimizes the plasma beam transmission path and improves impurity filtration efficiency by precisely defining the geometry and component layout of the filter bend 12. Specifically, the filter bend 12 is designed as a 90-degree bend, utilizing the physical property that charged particles can deflect with magnetic field lines under the influence of a magnetic field, while neutral impurities and micron-sized droplets move in a straight line, thus achieving effective interception of impurities.

[0048] In the aforementioned filtered cathode vacuum arc coating system, after the cathode assembly generates a plasma beam, this beam immediately enters the second inlet of the filter bend 12. Here, the guiding magnetic field coil 13 introduces the plasma beam into the filter bend 12. As the plasma beam propagates within the 90-degree bend, the filtering magnetic field coil 14, forming a filtering magnetic field inside the bend, applies a Lorentz force to the charged ions, causing them to advance along the curved magnetic field lines. Simultaneously, neutral impurities in the plasma beam, unaffected by the magnetic field, continue to move in a straight line and eventually collide with the bend wall and are captured, thus achieving effective filtration of impurities and obtaining a purified plasma beam. The purified plasma beam flows out from the first end of the filter bend 12 and directly enters the chamber 11. This configuration ensures that the purified plasma beam enters the deposition region with the shortest path and minimal loss, maintaining the energy density and transmission stability of the plasma beam.

[0049] The above-described scheme significantly reduces plasma beam divergence and collision losses with the cavity walls during transmission, thereby improving plasma transmission efficiency and utilization. Simultaneously, the synergistic effect of the 90-degree bent tube geometry and the magnetic field coil enables more efficient separation of charged ions and neutral impurities, ensuring that only highly purified plasma beams reach the substrate 27 surface. This not only greatly improves impurity interception efficiency and effectively avoids the impact of micron-sized molten droplets and large particles on film quality, but also guarantees the energy density and stability of the purified plasma beam, ultimately resulting in diamond-like carbon films deposited on substrate 27 with higher purity, lower defect rates, and superior mechanical properties.

[0050] In some embodiments, the cathode assembly includes a pneumatic mechanical arc ignition mechanism 22, a rotation mechanism, and a target 16 mounted on a rotating base. The rotation mechanism is used to drive the rotating base to rotate so as to drive the target 16 to rotate. The pneumatic mechanical arc ignition mechanism 22 is used to ignite the target material 16 so that the target material 16 is ionized to form a plasma beam.

[0051] The pneumatic mechanical arc-ignition mechanism 22 is a device that uses compressed gas to drive the movement of mechanical components, thereby igniting the cathode target 16. Its function is to ensure rapid and reliable arc discharge in a vacuum environment, thus stably generating a plasma beam. For example, this mechanism can use a cylinder-driven arc-ignition needle, which extends under air pressure and contacts the surface of the target 16, forming a short circuit and igniting the arc; alternatively, a pneumatic piston can drive a lever mechanism, whose movement brings the arc-ignition electrode into contact with the target 16, where the target 16 can be graphite.

[0052] The rotating mechanism is a device that drives the cathode target 16 to rotate. Its function is to enable dynamic position changes on the surface of the target 16 during arc discharge, ensuring the uniformity of etching the target 16 and thus maintaining the long-term stability of the plasma beam composition and intensity. For example, this mechanism can employ a motor-driven gear transmission system, where gear meshing drives the target 16 base to rotate; alternatively, a magnetically coupled rotating mechanism can be used, where an external magnetic field drives internal magnetic components to rotate, thereby rotating the target 16 and avoiding vacuum dynamic sealing issues.

[0053] The rotating base is a supporting component used to mount the target 16 and connect it to the rotating mechanism to enable the target 16 to rotate. Its function is to act as a mechanical interface between the target 16 and the rotating mechanism, ensuring that the target 16 can rotate stably with the rotating mechanism. For example, the base can be a metal disc-shaped base with a central bearing structure, and the target 16 can be fixed by bolts or clips; alternatively, it can be a one-piece conductive material base with grooves or clamps for fixing the target 16.

[0054] The target 16 serves as the cathode material of the cathode arc source, and is ionized during arc discharge to generate a carbon plasma beam. Its function is to provide a carbon source and generate a plasma beam through ionization for subsequent thin film deposition. For example, the target 16 can be made of high-purity (e.g., 99.99%) bulk graphite material.

[0055] Specifically, the pneumatic mechanical arc ignition mechanism 22 ignites the target material 16 using a pneumatically driven mechanical contact method. Compared with traditional arc ignition methods, this structure provides stronger mechanical impact and contact stability, ensuring rapid and reliable arc discharge in a vacuum environment, thereby stably generating a plasma beam. The rotation mechanism drives the target material 16 to rotate by driving the rotating base, enabling the surface of the target material 16 to dynamically change position during the arc discharge process. This design avoids the arc from being fixed at a single point on the target material 16 for a long time, thus preventing localized over-etching or the formation of deep pits on the surface of the target material 16, ensuring the uniformity of the etching of the target material 16, and thus maintaining the long-term stability of the plasma beam composition and intensity.

[0056] In some optional embodiments, the filter cathode vacuum arc coating system of this application is further provided with a circulating water cooling system to cool the target material 16. Specifically, the circulating water cooling system removes heat from the target material 16 through a continuously circulating cooling medium, maintaining the temperature of the target material 16 within a set range and preventing the surface of the target material 16 from being ablated or cracked due to localized overheating. On the one hand, a stable target material 16 temperature helps maintain the stability of the arc discharge, reduces arc drift and arc spot aggregation caused by uneven thermal emission, and makes the plasma beam output more uniform; on the other hand, the cooling effect causes the target material 16 to be consumed uniformly along the entire surface, effectively avoiding localized over-etching, extending the service life of the target material 16, and ensuring the consistency of plasma beam intensity and composition during long-term coating processes.

[0057] In some embodiments, a multi-source device is also included, which includes a HiPIMS power supply 21, a magnetron sputtering source, a cathode arc ignition power supply 23, a bias power supply 24, an IET ion source 25, and an anode layer linear ion source 26. HiPIMS power supply 21 is connected to the magnetron sputtering source and is used to drive the magnetron sputtering source in a pulse manner; A magnetron sputtering source is used to deposit a metal transition layer on the surface of substrate 27; The cathode arc ignition power supply 23 is connected to the target 16 in the cathode assembly to provide an arc ignition current to generate a plasma beam; The bias power supply 24 is connected to the substrate 27 to provide a bias voltage to the substrate 27; The IET ion source 25 is used to perform ion bombardment cleaning on the surface of the substrate 27 before coating. The linear ion source 26 of the anode layer is used for continuous cleaning during the movement of the substrate 27 or to provide ion-assisted bombardment during the coating process.

[0058] The multi-source device is a collection of equipment integrating various thin film deposition and surface treatment functions. Its core function is to provide diverse plasma sources and energy control methods to meet the needs of complex coating processes for substrate 27 pretreatment, transition layer deposition, and main film growth assistance. This multi-source device can flexibly configure and switch different functional modules according to specific thin film performance requirements and substrate 27 material properties, thereby achieving precise control over the thin film structure, composition, and properties.

[0059] The HiPIMS power supply 21, or high-power pulsed magnetron sputtering power supply, functions to drive the magnetron sputtering source in a pulsed manner. This HiPIMS power supply 21 can output microsecond-level ultra-high peak power pulses, significantly improving the metal ionization rate of the sputtering target 16, thus ensuring a smooth, particle-free film while also possessing the high adhesion of an arc source. In addition to the high-power pulse mode, the HiPIMS power supply 21 can also operate in DC pulse mode or RF pulse mode to adapt to different material and process requirements.

[0060] A magnetron sputtering source is a device that uses a magnetic field to confine plasma, and sputters atoms from the surface of a target 16 by bombarding it with ions, causing them to deposit onto a substrate 27 (not shown in the figure). In this application, the magnetron sputtering source is mainly used to deposit a metal transition layer on the surface of the substrate 27.

[0061] The cathode arc ignition power supply 23 is connected to the target 16 in the cathode assembly and provides a high-current arc ignition discharge to evaporate and ionize the cathode target 16 to generate a plasma beam. This cathode arc ignition power supply 23 has high current output capability and fast response characteristics to ensure the stability of the arc discharge and the continuous supply of the plasma beam. In addition to providing the arc ignition current, the cathode arc ignition power supply 23 can also provide a stable current to maintain the arc discharge, and the current magnitude can be adjusted to control the density and energy of the plasma beam. In some optional embodiments, the number of cathode arc ignition power supplies 23 can be two.

[0062] The bias power supply 24 is connected to the substrate 27 to provide a bias voltage to the substrate 27. By applying a negative bias voltage to the substrate 27, positive ions can be attracted and accelerated to bombard the surface of the substrate 27, thereby improving the adhesion between the film and the substrate 27 and the density of the film.

[0063] The IET ion source 25, namely the ion etching and treatment ion source, is used to emit a high-energy ion beam to bombard the surface of the substrate 27 before coating, stripping off adsorbed impurities and oxide layers, and achieving atomic-level cleaning and surface activation.

[0064] The linear ion source 26 of the anode layer functions to output linear plasma, which is suitable for efficient continuous cleaning during the movement of the substrate 27, or for providing ion-assisted bombardment during the coating process. This ion source has a narrow discharge region, which can generate uniform linear plasma, thereby achieving uniform surface treatment or assisted deposition on a large-area substrate 27 or a rotating substrate 27.

[0065] Specifically, this application introduces a HiPIMS power supply 21 to drive the magnetron sputtering source, enabling high-power pulsed magnetron sputtering in a pulsed manner. This allows for the fabrication of a high-quality metal transition layer on the substrate 27 surface. This metal transition layer effectively alleviates the stress mismatch between the diamond-like carbon film and the substrate 27, significantly enhancing the film-substrate adhesion. A stable and controllable carbon source is provided by connecting the target 16 to the cathode arc ignition power supply 23, ensuring continuous plasma beam generation. Applying a bias voltage to the substrate 27 via the bias power supply 24 effectively regulates the energy of the incident ions, thereby precisely controlling the microstructure and sp³ bond content of the film and achieving control over the film's mechanical properties. Ion bombardment cleaning of the substrate 27 before coating using the IET ion source 25 thoroughly removes the oxide layer and contaminants from the substrate 27 surface, activating the surface and providing a clean interface for subsequent film growth. By using the linear ion source 26 in the anode layer to continuously clean or provide ion-assisted bombardment during the movement of the substrate 27, not only is the surface cleanliness ensured during the large-area deposition process, but the density and hardness of the film are further improved through the ion-assisted effect. This solves the limitations of a single arc source under complex process requirements and realizes the refinement and multi-functionality of the coating process.

[0066] In some embodiments, a rotating worktable is provided in the chamber 11, which is used to place the substrate 27 and drive the substrate 27 to rotate.

[0067] Specifically, by introducing a rotating stage inside chamber 11, the substrate 27 is provided with spatial freedom of movement. In the filtered cathode vacuum arc deposition system, the cathode assembly generates a plasma beam, which is introduced into the filter bend 12 via the guiding magnetic field coil 13. Impurities are filtered through the filtering magnetic field formed inside the filter bend 12 by the filtering magnetic field coil 14, resulting in a purified plasma beam. Subsequently, the focusing magnetic field coil 15 controls the scanning path of the purified plasma beam. During this process, the rotating stage drives the substrate 27 to rotate, allowing the surface of the substrate 27 to be exposed to the purified plasma beam at multiple angles. Combining the dynamic scanning of the plasma beam with the rotational movement of the substrate 27 effectively expands the deposition area. Through the rotation of the rotating stage, the deposition range, originally limited by the scanning path of the focusing magnetic field coil 15, can be spatially translated and overlapped on the surface of the substrate 27, thereby improving the uniformity of the film thickness distribution on the surface of the substrate 27 and adapting to the deposition requirements of substrates 27 with different geometries, ensuring the continuity and consistency of film growth.

[0068] In some optional embodiments of this application, the specific process for preparing diamond-like carbon films using the above-described filter cathode vacuum arc coating system is as follows: Pre-treatment of substrate 27: The substrate 27 material is selected from precision-polished 316L stainless steel, YT15 cemented carbide, and other workpieces to be processed. To ensure the quality of the deposited film and its adhesion to the substrate 27, it is first polished with 400-grit silicon carbide sandpaper before deposition to remove macroscopic defects, the original oxide layer, and mechanical damage layer on the surface of the substrate 27; then, fine grinding is performed with 2000-grit silicon carbide sandpaper to reduce the surface roughness of the substrate 27 to Ra < 0.1 μm; finally, a mirror finish is achieved using 0.5 μm diamond polishing slurry and a lint-free polishing cloth to obtain a smooth substrate 27 surface with a surface roughness Ra ≤ 0.02 μm. All the above polishing processes are performed along a cross-shaped path to eliminate directional scratches. After polishing, ultrasonic cleaning is used to deeply clean the substrate 27 to remove residual abrasive particles, grease, and other impurities on the surface of the substrate 27, ensuring the cleanliness of the substrate 27 surface.

[0069] IET ion beam etching and cleaning: Before coating, the substrate 27 is subjected to IET ion beam etching and cleaning to remove impurities and oxide layers from the surface of the substrate 27 and activate the chemical activity of the substrate 27 surface, thereby enhancing the adhesion between the subsequent coating and the substrate 27. Specifically, the substrate 27 is placed on the rotating stage of the vacuum chamber 11. After the chamber 11 is closed, the vacuum pumping system is started to evacuate the chamber 11 to a base vacuum level better than 5.0 × 10⁻⁶. - ³Pa. Turn on the rotary table and set the rotation speed to 5 r / min; introduce argon gas at a flow rate of 10 sccm to 1000 sccm into chamber 11, and adjust the vacuum valve to maintain the chamber pressure at 0.3 Pa to 1.0 Pa. Turn on the IET ion source 25 and set the IET current to 10 A to 200 A; apply a DC bias voltage of -50 V to -1000 V to the substrate 27, and set the bias duty cycle to 20% to 80%; perform argon ion bombardment cleaning on the surface of the substrate 27 for 5 min to 40 min.

[0070] Metal transition layer preparation: After IET cleaning, a metal transition layer is deposited on the surface of substrate 27. This metal transition layer is used to alleviate the lattice mismatch and thermal expansion coefficient difference between substrate 27 and ta-C thin film, reduce interfacial stress, prevent film cracking or detachment, improve the bonding strength between the film and substrate 27, and fill minor defects on the surface of substrate 27. A rectangular planar target with a purity of 99.99% is used to prepare the metal transition layer, and the metal transition layer material is selected from any one of Cr, Ti, W, and Al. The cleaned substrate 27 is placed in vacuum chamber 11, and a magnetron sputtering source is driven by HiPIMS power supply 21, with the power set to 0.5kW to 3kW and the duty cycle to 5% to 10%. Argon gas is introduced into chamber 11 at a flow rate of 10sccm to 1000sccm, maintaining the deposition pressure at 0.3Pa to 1.0Pa. During the deposition process, a DC bias voltage of -10V to -1000V is applied to the substrate 27, and the DC bias voltage duty cycle is set to 30% to 80%. After pre-sputtering for 5 to 30 minutes, the baffle in the chamber 11 is opened to deposit the metal transition layer.

[0071] Parameter settings for filter bend 12: After the metal transition layer is prepared, turn off the argon gas supply and evacuate the vacuum chamber 11 to a level not exceeding 5.0 × 10⁻⁶. - ³Pa. Turn on the scanning power supply of the focusing magnetic field coil 15 and set the parameters of the focusing magnetic field coil 15. The voltage of the filtering magnetic field coil 14 is 0V~300V and the current is 2A~20A. The voltage of the guiding magnetic field coil 13 is 0V~20V and the current is 1A~10A. A bias voltage is also set on the filtering bend tube 12. Set the bias voltage on the filtering bend tube 12 to 0V~30V and the duty cycle to 30%~60%. At the same time, set the target current of the cathode assembly to 10A~200A and start the rotating mechanism to drive the rotating base to rotate, thereby rotating the target material 16 to ensure stable consumption of the target material 16 and uniform output of the plasma beam.

[0072] Diamond-like carbon (DLC) thin film deposition: The vacuum chamber 11 is maintained at a high vacuum, without the need for any gas introduction, and the vacuum level is maintained at 5.0 × 10⁻⁶. - Below ³Pa. The rotary stage rotates at a rate of 2r / min to 10r / min, and a DC bias voltage of 0V to -1000V is applied to the substrate 27. Carbon-based thin film deposition is carried out under the above vacuum and filtration parameters. During the deposition process, the scanning path of the purified plasma beam is controlled by the focusing magnetic field coil 15, so that carbon ions are uniformly bombarded and deposited on the surface of the substrate 27, and finally a diamond-like film with high density, low defects and high sp³ bond content is formed.

[0073] refer to Figures 3-11This application provides a method for vacuum arc coating of a filter cathode, applied to the filter cathode vacuum arc coating system described above. The coating method includes: A plasma beam is generated using a cathode assembly; A plasma beam is introduced into the filter bend using a guiding magnetic field coil; By using a filter magnetic field coil, a filter magnetic field is formed inside the filter bend, so as to filter impurities in the plasma beam and obtain a purified plasma beam. By using a focusing magnetic field coil, the scanning path of the purified plasma beam is controlled to deposit a diamond-like film on the substrate in the chamber.

[0074] This application combines a magnetic field control process in which a guiding magnetic field coil, a filtering magnetic field coil, and a focusing magnetic field coil work together. This solves the problems of incomplete filtration of impurities in the plasma beam and difficulty in flexibly controlling the purified plasma beam during the vacuum arc deposition process of the filtering cathode, which leads to poor uniformity of large-area deposition. This achieves the effects of improving the surface quality and mechanical properties of the thin film and realizing uniform thickness deposition on a large-area substrate.

[0075] Specifically, this coating method generates a high-ionization plasma beam through a cathode assembly, laying the foundation for high-quality thin film deposition. A guiding magnetic field coil guides the plasma beam into a filter bend, effectively reducing diffusion losses during transmission and ensuring the effectiveness of subsequent filtration. The filtering magnetic field formed inside the filter bend by the filtering magnetic field coil utilizes the difference in trajectories between charged particles and neutral impurities to effectively intercept micron-sized molten droplets and large particles, resulting in a purified, high-purity plasma beam. Furthermore, a focusing magnetic field coil actively guides the purified plasma beam, overcoming the limitations of traditional fixed-beam deposition. This allows the purified plasma beam to scan and deposit on the substrate surface along a preset path. This dynamic control effectively compensates for beam distribution inhomogeneities, enabling the growth of uniformly thick diamond-like carbon films on large-area substrates, significantly improving the flexibility of the coating process and the stability of film quality.

[0076] In some embodiments, the focusing magnetic field coil includes a transverse coil arranged along the X-axis and a longitudinal coil arranged along the Y-axis; the focusing magnetic field coil is used to control the scanning path of the purified plasma beam to deposit a diamond-like carbon film on a substrate in the chamber, including: A transverse magnetic field component is generated using a transverse coil, and a longitudinal magnetic field component is generated using a longitudinal coil. The transverse magnetic field component and the longitudinal magnetic field component are superimposed to form a total magnetic field, which is used to control the deflection direction of the purified plasma beam. The scanning path is discretized into N consecutive control nodes. According to the control sequence corresponding to the control nodes, during the dwell time of each control node, the horizontal coil and the vertical coil are controlled to output the first current and the second current corresponding to the current control node, respectively, so as to deposit a diamond-like film on the substrate. The first current is the current generated by the horizontal coil, the second current is the current generated by the vertical coil, and N is an integer greater than one.

[0077] Each control node includes a first current in the transverse coil, a second current in the longitudinal coil, and a dwell time. The first current determines the X-axis coordinate position of the purified plasma beam on the substrate, and the second current determines the Y-axis coordinate position of the purified plasma beam. Following the sequence of all control nodes, during the dwell time of each control node, the transverse coil and the longitudinal coil output the first current and the second current corresponding to the current control node, respectively. This allows the purified plasma beam to scan sequentially between the coordinate positions corresponding to each control node, thereby forming a scanning path on the substrate. In other words, during the dwell time of each control node, the output of the first current and the second current corresponding to the current control node is maintained, allowing the purified plasma beam to remain and deposit at the current coordinate position. After traversing all control nodes, a diamond-like carbon film can be deposited on the substrate.

[0078] Specifically, the focusing magnetic field coil comprises two independent and orthogonal coil groups: a transverse coil and a longitudinal coil. The transverse coil is arranged along the X-axis and is primarily responsible for generating the magnetic field component in the X-direction, thereby affecting the deflection of the plasma beam in the X-direction. The longitudinal coil is arranged along the Y-axis and is primarily responsible for generating the magnetic field component in the Y-direction, thereby affecting the deflection of the plasma beam in the Y-direction. This orthogonal arrangement enables two-dimensional spatial control of the plasma beam and is the foundation for achieving precise scanning.

[0079] By supplying a first current to the transverse coil and a second current to the longitudinal coil, the first and second currents can independently generate magnetic field components along the X and Y axes, respectively. These magnetic field components are superimposed within the focusing magnetic field coil to form a total magnetic field with a specific direction and intensity. When a charged, purified plasma beam passes through this focusing magnetic field coil, it is subjected to a Lorentz force exerted by the total magnetic field. In other words, the total magnetic field applies a Lorentz force to the purified plasma beam passing through the focusing magnetic field coil to control its deflection direction. The magnitude and direction of the Lorentz force depend on the plasma beam's velocity, charge, and the intensity and direction of the total magnetic field. By precisely controlling the first and second currents, the direction and intensity of the total magnetic field can be adjusted in real time, thereby precisely controlling the Lorentz force to cause the plasma beam to deflect as desired in the XY plane, thus guiding it to bombard a specific location on the substrate.

[0080] To achieve precise scanning and uniform deposition on the substrate surface, in some optional implementations, the continuous scanning path is decomposed into a series of discrete control nodes. Each control node represents a target deposition point of the plasma beam on the substrate and its corresponding control parameters. Specifically, each node contains three core parameters: a first current in the transverse coil, a second current in the longitudinal coil, and a dwell time. The first current directly determines the X-axis coordinates of the plasma beam's landing point on the substrate, while the second current determines its Y-axis coordinates. A precise mapping between the current values ​​and the substrate surface coordinates can be established through pre-calculation or experimental calibration. The dwell time specifies the length of time the plasma beam remains at that specific coordinate position for deposition. This discretization transforms the continuous scanning problem into a programmable sequential control problem, greatly simplifying the control logic.

[0081] In actual operation, these discrete control nodes are activated one by one in a preset sequence. For each control node, during its specified dwell time, a first current and a second current corresponding to that control node are output to the transverse and longitudinal coils, respectively. Due to the rapid switching of currents and the response of the magnetic field, the plasma beam quickly deflects and positions itself to the substrate surface coordinates determined by the current first and second currents. When the system switches from one control node to the next, the plasma beam moves from the previous coordinate position to the next, thus forming a scanning path on the substrate surface composed of these discrete points. This point-by-point control method ensures the accuracy and repeatability of the scanning path.

[0082] During the dwell time at each control node, the transverse and longitudinal coils maintain the first and second currents corresponding to that control node, respectively. This means the plasma beam will stably remain at a specific coordinate position on the substrate and continuously deposit there. In this way, a thin film of a certain thickness can be accumulated at each discrete point. After the system sequentially traverses and completes the deposition of all control nodes according to a preset order, the entire substrate surface will be uniformly covered with a diamond-like carbon film. This dwell-deposition strategy, combined with flexible adjustment of the dwell time, allows for precise control of the film thickness distribution and uniformity, thus meeting the requirements for large-area substrate coating.

[0083] This coating method, combined with the aforementioned filtered cathode vacuum arc coating system, not only effectively removes impurities from the plasma beam using the filtering magnetic field coil, but also solves the problem of the traditional fixed magnetic field's inability to flexibly control the purified plasma beam through precise control of the focusing magnetic field coil. By accurately scanning and depositing the plasma beam, it not only achieves uniform film deposition on large-area substrates but also effectively avoids the problems of low ion utilization and decreased deposition rate caused by beam diffusion, thus significantly improving the deposition quality and efficiency of diamond-like carbon films. This dynamic, programmable scanning control mechanism allows the system to adapt to the coating requirements of substrates of different sizes and shapes, greatly expanding the application range of filtered cathode vacuum arc coating technology.

[0084] In some implementations, the dwell time Td_i of the control nodes located at the substrate edge is greater than that of the control nodes located at the substrate center, so that the deposition thickness at the substrate edge is more consistent with that at the substrate center. Furthermore, a scaling factor A is introduced to adjust the current values ​​of the N control nodes to Ix' = A × Ix, Iy' = A × Iy, to switch the scanning coverage of the carbon ion beam. Here, Td_i is the dwell time of the i-th control node, Ix is the first current, Ix' is the adjusted first current, Iy is the second current, and Iy' is the adjusted second current.

[0085] Residence time refers to the time that the purified plasma beam remains at a specific coordinate position on the substrate for deposition. By adjusting the residence time of control nodes in different regions, the thickness of the thin film deposition can be locally controlled. The scaling factor A is an adjustable parameter used to adjust the overall scanning range. Its value can be set by the control system according to actual needs to flexibly adapt to substrates of different sizes or shapes, achieving scanning coverage from a local area to the entire substrate surface. By proportionally adjusting Ix and Iy, the scanning area can be proportionally expanded or reduced while maintaining the scanning path topology unchanged, thereby changing the total magnetic field strength and direction generated by the focusing magnetic field coil and controlling the deflection region of the carbon ion beam.

[0086] This application addresses the issues of poor thin film deposition uniformity and insufficient adaptability of scanning coverage by optimizing the scanning path control strategy. Specifically, based on controlling the purified plasma beam scanning path using a focusing magnetic field coil, dynamic adjustment in both time and spatial dimensions is introduced. In the time dimension, addressing the common physical defect of "thick center, thin edge" in large-sized workpieces, the system sets the dwell time Td_i of control nodes located at the substrate edge region to be greater than that of control nodes located at the substrate center region. This allows edge nodes in thinner film regions to obtain a longer deposition time, compensating for insufficient deposition in the edge regions. In the spatial dimension, to adapt to the coating requirements of workpieces of different sizes, the system introduces a scaling factor A. By proportionally adjusting the first current Ix of the transverse coil and the second current Iy of the longitudinal coil, i.e., Ix'=A×Ix and Iy'=A×Iy, adaptive switching of the carbon ion beam scanning coverage is achieved. Overall, this application enables the purified plasma beam to be deposited more uniformly and flexibly on the substrate by refining and adaptively controlling the dwell time and scanning range of the scanning path, thereby significantly improving the deposition quality and applicability of diamond-like carbon films.

[0087] In some embodiments, prior to depositing a diamond-like carbon film on a substrate within a chamber by using a focusing magnetic field coil to control the scanning path of the purified plasma beam, the method further includes: The substrate is pretreated with silicon carbide sandpaper to obtain a smooth substrate; Place the smooth substrate in the chamber; The substrate in the chamber is cleaned using an ion source to remove impurities and oxide layers from the substrate surface and to activate the substrate surface activity, resulting in a clean substrate. A metal transition layer is deposited on a clean substrate.

[0088] Specifically, this application constructs an ideal growth interface for diamond-like carbon (DLC) film deposition by introducing substrate surface treatment and transition layer preparation processes. First, mechanical pretreatment of the substrate using silicon carbide sandpaper effectively reduces the initial surface roughness, eliminates macroscopic defects, and provides a smooth physical basis for the uniform growth of the subsequent film. Then, the treated substrate is placed in a chamber to prepare for subsequent processing under vacuum. Next, the substrate is deeply cleaned using an ion source. This process not only physically removes residual micro-impurities and oxide layers from the substrate surface, but more importantly, activates the chemical activity of the substrate surface through ion bombardment, enhancing the chemical bonding between the substrate and the subsequent deposition layer. Finally, a metal transition layer is deposited on the clean and activated substrate. This transition layer effectively alleviates the internal stress caused by lattice mismatch or differences in thermal expansion coefficients between the substrate and the DLC film, thereby significantly improving the film adhesion, preventing peeling during service, and ensuring the structural integrity and mechanical properties of the DLC film under complex operating conditions. This series of pretreatment steps, combined with the purified plasma beam provided by the aforementioned filtered cathode vacuum arc coating system, jointly ensures the high-quality growth of the final diamond-like carbon film, avoiding film defects and performance degradation caused by substrate surface problems in traditional processes.

[0089] In some embodiments, the metallic material of the metal transition layer includes any one of chromium, titanium, tungsten, and aluminum.

[0090] Example 1: The morphology and structure of the carbon film prepared by the process of this application are compared with those of the carbon film prepared by magnetron sputtering using the traditional HiPIMS process.

[0091] 316L stainless steel and a P-type single-sided polished silicon wafer were selected as the substrate. The silicon wafer was used for observing morphological changes and was not intended as the actual substrate. The specific procedure was as follows: the 316L stainless steel substrate was polished and then immersed together with the silicon wafer in anhydrous ethanol solution. Ultrasonic cleaning was performed for 30 minutes to remove residual particles and grease from the surface. Finally, the substrate and silicon wafer were removed and thoroughly rinsed with ultrapure water to ensure the substrate surface was clean and free of residue.

[0092] The substrate was placed on a rotating stage within the chamber, and a mechanical pump was used to evacuate the chamber to below 500 Pa. Then, a Roots pump was activated to reduce the vacuum to below 4 Pa. Finally, a turbomolecular pump was used for fine evacuation, bringing the chamber vacuum to 4 × 10⁻⁶ Pa. - Below ³Pa. The substrate is cleaned using an IET ion source to remove surface impurities and oxide layers, and to activate the substrate surface. Subsequently, a rotary table is turned on at a speed of 5 r / min, and argon gas is introduced at a flow rate of 500 sccm to maintain an internal pressure of 5.0 × 10⁻⁶ Pa. -At 1 Pa, the IET ion source current was 100 A, a bias voltage of -800 V was applied to the substrate, and the bias voltage duty cycle was set to 60%. The substrate was then subjected to argon ion bombardment cleaning for 30 minutes using the IET ion source. After cleaning, the gas source was shut off, and the vacuum level inside the chamber was 3 × 10⁻⁶ Pa. - ³Pa, deposition can be carried out in this environment without the need for any auxiliary gas.

[0093] After cleaning, the bias voltage of the filter bend is set to 10V and the duty cycle to 60%. The scanning power supply of the focusing magnetic field coil is turned on, and the parameters of the focusing magnetic field coil (i.e., the first current, the second current, and the residence time) are set to uniformly scan the plasma beam. The voltage of the filter magnetic field coil is 160V and the current is 13A; the voltage of the guiding magnetic field coil is 6V and the current is 6A.

[0094] The cathode arc target was activated, the target current was set to 100A, and the target rotation was initiated. A DC bias of -100V was applied to the substrate. Under the aforementioned vacuum and electrical parameters, thin film deposition was performed on the substrate for 60 minutes, resulting in a diamond-like carbon film (hereinafter referred to as carbon film). The cross-sectional view of the film is shown below. Figure 4 As shown.

[0095] The control group used a HiPIMS power supply at 1.8 kW for carbon film deposition. The cleaned substrate was placed in a vacuum chamber, and argon gas was introduced at a flow rate of 500 sccm, maintaining a deposition pressure of 5.0 × 10⁻⁶. - ¹Pa. The HiPIMS power supply parameters were set to 900V, 20A, and 15% duty cycle, with a substrate bias of -100V. After 10 minutes of pre-sputtering, the baffle was opened for deposition. After 80 minutes of carbon film deposition, the cross-sectional view of the carbon film was obtained as shown in the figure. Figure 5 As shown.

[0096] By comparison Figure 4 and Figure 5 The carbon film prepared in this application has a smooth and flat cross-section, a dense structure, and no obvious particles or defects; the carbon film prepared by the control group HiPIMS is relatively sparse and fails to form a dense thin film structure.

[0097] The structures of the two sets of carbon films were characterized using microconfocal laser Raman spectroscopy. In the Raman spectra, the films located at 1350 cm⁻¹... - The D peak of ¹ represents the breathing vibration of the sp² carbon bond, located at 1580 cm⁻¹. - The G peak of ¹ represents sp 2 Stretching vibrations of carbon bonds. Calculate the area ratio I of the D peak and G peak for each carbon film. -D / I -G I -D / I -G It originates from sp2 The vibrational signal of carbon, I -D / I -G The lower the ratio, the better the sp of the carbon film. 3 The higher the proportion of sp² and sp³ bonds, the better the evaluation of the distribution characteristics of sp² and sp³ bonds in the carbon film. The carbon film prepared by this invention exhibits I... -D / I -G The ratio was 0.47, and the Ig of the carbon film prepared by the control group HiPIMS was... -D / I -G The ratio is 1.95, which is the carbon film I prepared in this application. -D / I -G The ratio is relatively low, the proportion of sp³ bonds is higher, and the amorphous carbon structure is dominant; the carbon film prepared by HiPIMS in the control group has a higher content of sp² bonds and sp² clusters, and has a stronger graphitization trend.

[0098] Example 2 This embodiment uses a vacuum arc deposition system with a filtered cathode equipped with high-power pulsed magnetron sputtering and a 90° bend to prepare a metal transition layer and DLC films under different substrate biases.

[0099] The substrate materials used for deposition were YT15 cemented carbide blocks and P-type single-sided polished silicon wafers. The specific operation was as follows: after polishing and grinding the YT15 cemented carbide blocks, they were immersed in anhydrous ethanol solution and ultrasonically cleaned for 30 minutes to remove residual particles and grease from the surface; finally, the substrate was removed and thoroughly rinsed with ultrapure water to ensure that the substrate surface was clean and free of residue.

[0100] Place the substrate on the rotating worktable of the chamber and evacuate the chamber to a vacuum of 5×10⁻⁶. - Below ³Pa, the substrate is cleaned using an IET ion source to remove surface impurities and oxide layers, and to activate the substrate surface. The rotary table is turned on at a speed of 5 r / min, and argon gas is introduced at a flow rate of 500 sccm to maintain a chamber pressure of 5.0 × 10⁻⁶. - ¹Pa, with an IET ion source current of 100A, a bias voltage of -500V applied to the substrate, and a duty cycle of 60%, argon ion bombardment cleaning was performed for 30 minutes.

[0101] After argon ion etching, a Ti metal transition layer with a thickness of approximately 350 nm was deposited using a HiPIMS power supply. The deposition parameters were as follows: average power of the HiPIMS power supply 2kW, peak voltage 700V, peak current 32A, frequency 800Hz, pulse time 125μs, and duty cycle 10%; substrate bias voltage -100V and duty cycle 50%.

[0102] After deposition is complete, shut off the argon gas and wait for the vacuum level to reach 3×10⁻⁶. -³Pa, followed by the deposition of a diamond-like carbon film with a thickness of approximately 650 nm. The pipe bias voltage of the filter bend was set to 10V and the duty cycle to 60%. The parameters of the filter magnetic field coil were set to 160V and 13A, the parameters of the guiding magnetic field coil were set to 6V and 6A, the current of the cathode arc ignition power supply 23 was 70A, and the substrate bias voltage was set to -100V, -800V, and -1000V, respectively. The cross-sectional views of the carbon films prepared are shown below. Figure 6 As shown.

[0103] The structure of the carbon film prepared in this application was characterized using microconfocal laser Raman spectroscopy. The measured spectra were compared with the original Raman spectra at 1350 cm⁻¹. - ¹ and 1580cm - ¹ Peak fitting was performed at each position to obtain the characteristic peaks corresponding to the D and G peaks, as shown below. Figure 7 As shown. Calculate the area ratio I of the D peak and G peak for each carbon film. -D / I -G This was used to evaluate the distribution characteristics of sp² and sp³ bonds in the carbon film. The Ig of the carbon films prepared under three different bias conditions was also analyzed. -D / I -G The ratios were 0.16, 0.49, and 1.61, respectively. Figure 8 As shown. This I -D / I -G The ratio can indirectly determine the sp² / sp³ content in the film. -D / I -G An increase in the ratio reflects a more pronounced graphitization trend in the film. Experimental comparisons show that adjusting the bias voltage can alter the energy of the deposited ions, promoting the rearrangement of carbon atoms and the transformation of sp³ bonds to sp² bonds, effectively controlling the carbon structure of diamond-like carbon films; carbon films prepared under high bias voltage conditions tend towards an sp²-enriched structure. Specifically, at a substrate bias voltage of -100V, the carbon film hardness is approximately 42 GPa and the Young's modulus is approximately 579 GPa; when the substrate bias voltage is increased to -800V, the hardness and modulus of the carbon film decrease to approximately 33 GPa and 479 GPa, respectively; when the substrate bias voltage is further increased to -1000V, the hardness and modulus of the carbon film decrease to approximately 14 GPa and 285 GPa, respectively. Figure 9 As shown. Combined with the Raman spectroscopy results, it can be seen that with increasing bias voltage, I... -D / I -G The ratio increased significantly from 0.16 to 1.61, such as Figure 8 As shown, this indicates an increase in the proportion of sp²-related structures and an enhanced degree of graphitization in the thin film, while the content of sp³ bonds relatively decreases. According to... Figure 6The three carbon film cross-sectional morphologies shown indicate that the carbon film prepared at -1000V has a relatively porous cross-section. This demonstrates that the coating system described in this application can produce high-quality diamond-like carbon films with high sp³ bond content, low internal stress, and high density under different process conditions.

[0104] like Figure 10 As shown, the carbon films prepared under three different bias conditions exhibited a rapid decrease in friction coefficient in the initial stage, followed by a stable plateau, indicating that the contact interface gradually stabilized after the break-in period. Specifically, the diamond-like carbon film prepared at -100V, due to its higher hardness, achieved hard contact with the mating sphere in the initial friction stage, resulting in a higher initial friction coefficient. The diamond-like carbon film prepared at -1000V, due to its higher Ig, exhibited a higher initial friction coefficient. -D / I -G The ratio, i.e., the sp² enriched structure, allows for rapid formation of a transfer film and entry into a stable phase during friction. The average friction coefficients of the three groups of carbon films mentioned above are all around 0.1. Figure 11 As shown, the break-in period of the carbon film is significantly shortened, the coefficient of friction can remain stable at around 0.1 for a long time, and the wear rate is maintained at 10. -7 The extremely low level of mm³ / N·m achieves synergistic optimization of low friction and high wear resistance, significantly improving the service stability and service life of carbon films under complex working conditions.

[0105] refer to Figure 12 This application provides an electronic device, including a processor 111, a communication interface 112, a memory 113 and a communication bus 114, wherein the processor 111, the communication interface 112 and the memory 113 communicate with each other through the communication bus 114, and the memory 113 is used to store computer programs. In one embodiment of this application, the processor 111, when executing a program stored in the memory, implements the steps of the aforementioned filtered cathode vacuum arc coating method.

[0106] This application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program thereon. When the computer program is executed by a processor, it performs the method in any optional implementation of the above embodiments to achieve the following functions: generating a plasma beam using a cathode assembly; introducing the plasma beam into a filter bend using a guiding magnetic field coil; forming a filtering magnetic field inside the filter bend using a filtering magnetic field coil to filter impurities in the plasma beam through the filtering magnetic field, obtaining a purified plasma beam; and controlling the scanning path of the purified plasma beam using a focusing magnetic field coil to deposit a diamond-like carbon film on a substrate in a chamber. The computer-readable storage medium can be implemented by any type of volatile or non-volatile storage device or a combination thereof, such as Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM), Programmable Red-Only Memory (PROM), Read-Only Memory (ROM), magnetic storage, flash memory, magnetic disk, or optical disk.

[0107] In this document, relational terms such as first and second are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, without necessarily requiring or implying any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations.

[0108] The above description is merely an embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Various modifications and variations can be made to this application by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A filter cathode vacuum arc coating system, characterized in that, include: Chamber (11), filter bend (12), cathode assembly and composite magnetic field structure; The composite magnetic field structure includes a guiding magnetic field coil (13), a filtering magnetic field coil (14), and a focusing magnetic field coil (15). The guiding magnetic field coil (13) is disposed on the outer periphery of the second end of the filtering bend (12), the filtering magnetic field coil (14) is disposed on the outer periphery of the middle section of the filtering bend (12), and the focusing magnetic field coil (15) is disposed on the outer periphery of the first end of the filtering bend (12). The focusing magnetic field coil (15) is composed of mutually orthogonal transverse coils and longitudinal coils. The cathode assembly is used to generate a plasma beam. The guiding magnetic field coil (13) is used to introduce the plasma beam into the filter bend (12). The filter magnetic field coil (14) is used to form a filter magnetic field inside the filter bend (12) so as to filter impurities in the plasma beam through the filter magnetic field and obtain a purified plasma beam. The focusing magnetic field coil (15) is used to control the scanning path of the purified plasma beam to deposit on the substrate (27) in the chamber (11) to form a diamond-like film.

2. The filter cathode vacuum arc coating system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first end of the filter bend (12) is connected to the chamber (11), and the cathode assembly is provided at the inlet of the second end of the filter bend (12). The filter bend (12) is a 90-degree bend.

3. The filter cathode vacuum arc coating system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cathode assembly includes a pneumatic mechanical arc ignition mechanism (22), a rotation mechanism, and a target material (16) mounted on a rotating base. The rotation mechanism is used to drive the rotating base to rotate so as to drive the target material (16) to rotate. The pneumatic mechanical arc ignition mechanism (22) is used to ignite the target material (16) so that the target material (16) is ionized to form the plasma beam.

4. The filter cathode vacuum arc coating system according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a multi-source device, which includes a HiPIMS power supply (21), a magnetron sputtering source, a cathode arc ignition power supply (23), a bias power supply (24), an IET ion source (25), and an anode layer linear ion source (26). The HiPIMS power supply (21) is connected to the magnetron sputtering source and is used to drive the magnetron sputtering source in a pulse manner; The magnetron sputtering source is used to deposit a metal transition layer on the surface of the substrate (27); The cathode arc ignition power supply (23) is connected to the target (16) in the cathode assembly to provide an arc ignition current to generate the plasma beam; The bias power supply (24) is connected to the substrate (27) to provide a bias voltage to the substrate (27); The IET ion source (25) is used to perform ion bombardment cleaning on the surface of the substrate (27) before coating; The linear ion source (26) of the anode layer is used to perform continuous cleaning during the movement of the substrate (27) or to provide ion-assisted bombardment during the coating process.

5. The filter cathode vacuum arc coating system according to claim 4, characterized in that, A rotating worktable is provided in the chamber (11), which is used to place the substrate (27) and drive the substrate (27) to rotate.

6. A method for vacuum arc coating of a filter cathode, characterized in that, The coating method is applied to the filter cathode vacuum arc coating system as described in any one of claims 1-5, wherein the coating method comprises: A plasma beam is generated using a cathode assembly; The plasma beam is introduced into the filter bend using a guiding magnetic field coil; A filtering magnetic field is formed inside the filtering bend using a filtering magnetic field coil, so as to filter impurities in the plasma beam through the filtering magnetic field and obtain a purified plasma beam. By using a focusing magnetic field coil, the scanning path of the purified plasma beam is controlled to deposit a diamond-like film on a substrate in the chamber.

7. The method for vacuum arc coating of a filtered cathode according to claim 6, characterized in that, The focusing magnetic field coil includes a transverse coil arranged along the X-axis and a longitudinal coil arranged along the Y-axis; the method of using the focusing magnetic field coil to control the scanning path of the purified plasma beam to deposit a diamond-like carbon film on a substrate in the chamber includes: The transverse coil generates a transverse magnetic field component, and the longitudinal coil generates a longitudinal magnetic field component, so that the transverse magnetic field component and the longitudinal magnetic field component are superimposed to form a total magnetic field, which is used to control the deflection direction of the purified plasma beam. The scanning path is discretized into N consecutive control nodes, and according to the control sequence corresponding to the control nodes, during the dwell time of each control node, the lateral coil and the longitudinal coil are controlled to output the first current and the second current corresponding to the current control node, respectively, so as to deposit a diamond-like film on the substrate; wherein, the first current is the current generated by the lateral coil, the second current is the current generated by the longitudinal coil, and N is an integer greater than one.

8. The method for vacuum arc coating of a filtered cathode according to claim 6, characterized in that, Before using a focusing magnetic field coil to control the scanning path of the purified plasma beam to deposit a diamond-like carbon film on the substrate in the chamber, the method further includes: The substrate is pretreated with silicon carbide sandpaper to obtain a smooth substrate; A smooth substrate is placed in the chamber; The substrate in the chamber is cleaned using an ion source to remove impurities and oxide layers from the substrate surface and to activate the substrate surface activity, resulting in a clean substrate. A metal transition layer is deposited on a clean substrate.

9. The method for vacuum arc coating of a filtered cathode according to claim 8, characterized in that, The metal material of the metal transition layer includes any one of chromium, titanium, tungsten, and aluminum.

10. An electronic device, characterized in that, It includes a processor, a communication interface, a memory, and a communication bus, wherein the processor, the communication interface, and the memory communicate with each other through the communication bus; Memory, used to store computer programs; The processor, when executing a program stored in memory, implements the steps of the filtered cathode vacuum arc coating method as described in any one of claims 6-9.

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