Method and device for the in situ determination of the conditioning state of surfaces

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a device (1) for the in situ determination of the conditioning state of surfaces (3, 4, 5), wherein the degree of changes to the at least one surface (3, 4, 5) over time while an electric field is applied is determined, and wherein the electric field is applied, with closed-loop or open-loop control, between at least two surfaces (3, 4, 5), and wherein the surfaces (3, 4, 5) are arranged in a common, gas-tight housing (2), with a gas pressure in the housing (2) lower than the pressure of the surroundings of the housing (2). The conditioning state is determined during the surface conditioning process, and, according to the determined conditioning state, the surface conditioning process is controlled with closed-loop or open-loop control and / or is ended.

Description

[0001] 2023PF12375 1

[0002] Description

[0003] Method and device for in-situ determination of the coating state of surfaces

[0004] The invention relates to a method and a device for in-situ determination of the coating state of surfaces, wherein the degree of change of at least one surface over time is determined under an applied electric field, and wherein the electric field is regulated or controlled between at least two surfaces, and wherein the surfaces are arranged in a common, gas-tight housing, with a gas pressure in the housing less than the ambient pressure of the housing.

[0005] Surfaces, such as metallic and ceramic surfaces, are treated, for example, by mechanical polishing and / or electric fields. Similar to electropolishing in liquids, electric fields also allow for surface modification in gases, for example, regarding roughness and / or structure. At low gas pressures, down to vacuum pressure, electric fields improve a surface, for example, by locally melting and / or rearranging the atoms on the surface, which, for example, enables the smoothing of a flat surface. For this purpose, the surface is subjected to a field; that is, an electrical voltage is applied between the surface and a counter electrode, which generates an electric field between the surface (acting as an electrode) and the counter electrode. At high voltages, or... Field strengths can cause electrical discharges between the electrodes, which can, for example,migrate across the surface of the electrodes.

[0006] Overlapping, with particularly irregular locally fluctuating fields caused by the overlapping, removes, for example, peaks or elevations on the surface to be processed. The removal rate and thus the degree of heat treatment depends, among other things, on the surface shape, the material, and the 2023PF12375 2

[0007] Voltage level and voltage change. The tempering state is determined by the degree of surface resistance to an applied electric field, or the degree of surface change over time under an applied electric field. Little to no surface change under an applied electric field indicates a good tempering state, while high or rapid surface changes under an applied electric field correspond to a poor tempering state. For example, a poor tempering state is characterized by high microroughness on the surface and / or low surface order. A good tempering state corresponds to, for example, low microroughness on the surface and / or a high degree of order, e.g., of atoms and / or molecules on the surface. Impurities or foreign atoms, such as organic contaminants, are removed.

[0008] A tempering process is carried out, for example, in a predetermined manner, using a constant or, in particular, regularly changing electric field between at least two surfaces, which is applied for a predetermined time. After this time, the surface is examined, for example, by random sampling, to determine the achieved tempering state. For this purpose, the surface is removed, for example, from the gas-tight housing, which requires increased effort due to the gas pressure in the housing being lower than the ambient pressure of the housing. If there is a deviation from the required tempering state, the surface must be disposed of as scrap if the tempering is insufficient, or reinserted into the housing for further tempering.The tempering process must be adapted for other surfaces, particularly with regard to duration and / or stress, even if the tempering condition is better than required, in order to temper effectively, with little waste, and cost-efficiently.

[0009] A controlled tempering process is achieved, for example, via direct parameters such as current and / or voltage changes during the tempering process, the changes of which are considered a criterion for surface quality. Experience yields control criteria that lead to a result, but this does not provide a direct indication of the surface quality. Different materials and surface structures, such as grooves, coatings, and so on, result in different tempering states after a predetermined or controlled time, even with identical tempering process parameters, such as applied voltage and measured current. Therefore, when the material and / or surface changes, particularly with regard to structure, considerable effort is required to adjust the necessary process parameters for a predetermined tempering state.Measurement series must be carried out, which require costs and time, to determine the optimal remuneration process parameters.

[0010] Especially when working with large surfaces, longer processing times are required, up to minutes for surfaces measuring several square centimeters, to ensure that a predetermined coating condition is achieved. Uniform surface coating across a surface is difficult because different areas can cancel each other out in a single measurement or result.

[0011] The invention is based on the objective of solving the problems described above. In particular, the invention is based on the objective of providing a method and a device for the in-situ determination of the coating state of surfaces, which enable reliable control or regulation of the coating process, especially with improved coating results, and / or in a shorter time, and / or at lower costs.

[0012] The object of the invention is achieved by a method for the in-situ determination of the surface finish of surfaces with the features of claim 1 and / or by a device for carrying out the method described above according to claim 12. Advantageous embodiments of the method according to the invention for the in-situ determination of the surface finish of surfaces are specified in the dependent claims. The subject matter of the main claim can be combined with features of the dependent claims, and features of the dependent claims can be combined with each other.

[0013] An inventive method for in-situ determination of the tempering state of surfaces comprises determining the degree of change of at least one surface over time under an applied electric field, wherein the electric field is regulated or controlled between at least two surfaces, and wherein the surfaces are or are arranged in a common, gas-tight housing, with a gas pressure in the housing less than the ambient pressure of the housing, wherein the determination of the tempering state takes place during the tempering process and the tempering process is regulated or controlled and / or terminated according to the determined tempering state.

[0014] In a surface treatment process, surfaces are treated in such a way as to improve their quality. This includes, for example, smoothing, i.e., the removal of peaks and / or filling of valleys on the surface, rearrangement of atoms and / or molecules on the surface, removal of impurities, and / or changes to the surface structure. By regulating or controlling the energy of the electric field supplied to the surfaces, controlled, and in particular, ordered discharges are made possible, without the irregular, locally fluctuating fields caused by the discharges. This allows, for example, peaks or protrusions on the surface to be treated to be removed and ordered quickly. For large surfaces, shorter treatment times are possible compared to unregulated or uncontrolled energy. Furthermore, a uniform surface treatment is achieved.

[0015] Determining the coating state during the coating process allows for regulation or control (2023PF12375 5) and / or termination of the coating process according to the coating state. Pure current and / or voltage regulation or control does not allow this, as changes in current and voltage result in a measure averaged over the entire surface, which only partially reflects local coating states on the surface. Local coating states can dominate current and / or voltage measurements and corresponding regulation or control, thus distorting the overall result. Interrupting the coating process to determine the coating state in the gas-tight housing and then resuming or terminating the coating process accordingly increases the time required and therefore the costs, while also reducing reliability.Only an in-situ determination of the surface treatment state as the degree of surface changes over time under an applied electric field during the treatment process, and a regulation or control and / or termination of the treatment process according to the determined treatment state, enables time-optimized, cost-effective treatment with high treatment quality.

[0016] The determination of the remuneration status of at least one surface and / or all surfaces is carried out by measurement.

[0017] - the emission of visible light, especially in the range of 400 to 780 nm, and / or

[0018] - the emission of electromagnetic radiation in the UHF range, especially in the range from 300 MHz to 3 GHz, and / or

[0019] - the emission of X-rays, especially in the range of 1 nm to 10 pm, and / or

[0020] - the emission of gamma radiation, especially in the range of less than 10 pm, and / or

[0021] - the partial discharge impulses coupled out via coupling capacitors, especially in the range of pC to nC, and / or

[0022] - the emission of infrasound, especially below 16 Hz, and / or

[0023] - the emission of audible sound, especially in the range 16 Hz to 20 kHz, and / or 2023PF12375 6

[0024] - the emission of ultrasound, especially in the range of 20 kHz to 1.6 GHz, especially with spatial resolution.

[0025] The measurement of visible light, especially in the range of 400 to 780 nm, of electromagnetic radiation in the UHF range, especially in the range of 300 MHz to 3 GHz, of X-rays, especially in the range of 1 nm to 10 pm, of gamma radiation, especially in the range of less than 10 pm, of partial discharge pulses coupled out via coupling capacitors, especially in the range of pC to nC, of ​​infrasound, especially less than 16 Hz, of audible sound, especially in the range of 16 Hz to 20 kHz, and / or of ultrasound, especially in the range of 20 kHz to 1.6 GHz, individually or in combination, especially with spatial resolution, enables a good determination of the coating condition of a surface. The aforementioned measurement methods can be summed over a surface or spatially resolved, and indicate the state, e.g.The methods are well-suited to determine surface properties, particularly roughness, surface material, alloys, density, porosity, reflectivity, layering, conductivity, and / or other surface characteristics. Therefore, these measurement methods are well-suited for determining the tempering status of surfaces during the tempering process and allow for regulation, control, and / or termination of the tempering process according to the tempering status.

[0026] The at least two surfaces can include metallic and / or ceramic surfaces, in particular with an area greater than or equal to 100 mm². 2 , especially with an area greater than or equal to 100 cm² 2Metallic surfaces are electrically conductive and well-suited as electrodes for applying electric fields. At very high voltages, such as those exceeding 50 kV, even non-conductive surfaces, such as ceramic surfaces, can be treated by electrical discharges when an electric field is applied. Applying an electric field with regulated or controlled energy enables defined surface treatment or tempering, particularly of non-conductive surfaces. Tempering of metallic and ceramic surfaces is readily achievable using electric fields at low pressure, especially in a vacuum. These materials are widely used in industry, particularly with an area greater than or equal to 100 mm². 2 or with an area greater than or equal to 100 cm² 2Metallic and ceramic surfaces are of particular interest in vacuum technology. This is especially true for larger surfaces, particularly those larger than 100 cm². 2 , the advantages described above are particularly effective, especially the in-situ investigation with methods in addition to current and voltage measurements during the compensation process itself .

[0027] A pressure of less than 1 bar, and in particular less than 1 mbar, can be used within the housing. Pressures in the vacuum range, in particular, enable a good tempering process and error-free determination of the tempering condition.

[0028] An alternating field or a pulsating direct field with a frequency in the range of 10 Hz to 100 kHz, particularly in the range of 16 Hz to 16 kHz, can be used as the electric field. Such fields are well suited for coating surfaces at low pressures, especially in the vacuum range, via applied electric fields or changes in current and / or voltage, with the aforementioned advantages.

[0029] An electric field with a field strength greater than 1 kV / mm, particularly greater than 10 kV / mm, and especially greater than 100 kV / mm, can be used. Such fields are well suited for coating surfaces at low pressures, particularly in vacuum, within a manageable time, especially in the range of seconds to minutes, with the aforementioned advantages.

[0030] Energy can be supplied to the surfaces by means of the applied electric field, which causes a surface coating, whereby the energy is automatically regulated or controlled, in particular pre-programmed. The automated regulation or control, in particular pre-programmed, e.g. computer-controlled or regulated according to a pre-defined program, enables surface treatment and coating with pre-defined final surface properties, with low personnel and cost expenditure, in a short time, in particular in the range of seconds or minutes.

[0031] The electric field allows electrical discharges to occur between at least two surfaces, and the energy of the electric field supplied to each surface can be regulated or controlled with respect to the number of discharges per unit of time and / or a predetermined total number of discharges. Such parameters enable the regulation or control of surface treatment or tempering, with a measurable result. A specific degree of surface tempering, as the final result, can be set by terminating the process at a specific number of discharges per unit of time and / or a predetermined total number of discharges, and verified by measurement. The necessary discharges for a specific tempering state can be determined by measurement and used for further tempering processes.Inspection can be performed during or after the coating process in the closed housing. For surfaces where process parameters need adjusting, the measured values ​​can be used to make the adjustments, or the coating process can be repeated several times. This allows for good coating results without the time-consuming and costly process of removing the surface from the housing.

[0032] The electric field allows electrical discharges to occur between at least two surfaces, and the energy of the electric field supplied to each surface can be regulated or controlled (2023PF12375 9) such that the number of discharges per unit of time at the end of the process is 80% or less than the number of discharges per unit of time at the beginning of the process, and / or the number of discharges per unit of time remains constant over a time interval in the range of seconds or minutes, particularly in the range of 30 seconds. During or after the coating process, measurement results can determine the coating state, thus allowing the success of the coating to be measured. Depending on the measurement result, the coating process can be terminated or restarted. This makes good coating results possible without having to remove the surface from the housing, which is time-consuming and costly.

[0033] An electric field can be applied between more than two surfaces within a common housing, whereby the surfaces are subjected to an electrical voltage, particularly in groups. This allows multiple surfaces to be processed simultaneously, especially with comparable surface coatings, resulting in cost and time savings compared to processing a single surface and enabling the use of identical surface coatings on multiple surfaces.

[0034] The gas-tight housing can have electrically insulating areas, in particular comprising glass and / or ceramic, through which metal surfaces are dielectrically separated. This makes it possible to apply an electric field to surfaces inside the housing from the outside, for processing surfaces inside the housing, in particular from opposite sides of the housing.

[0035] An apparatus according to the invention for carrying out a previously described method comprises that the apparatus includes at least a device for generating an electric field between the surfaces to be processed, and that the apparatus includes a control or regulating device which controls the energy of the electric field which the 2023PF12375 10

[0036] The device, which is supplied to surfaces, regulates or controls the process and comprises at least one measuring device for determining the compensation status during the compensation process, wherein the compensation process can be regulated or controlled and / or terminated according to the determined compensation status via the device. The advantages previously mentioned for the method are analogous to the advantages of the device according to the invention.

[0037] In the following, exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown schematically in the single figure and described in more detail below.

[0038] This shows

[0039] Figure schematically shows a device 1 according to the invention for processing surfaces 3, 4, 5 with the inventive method, with a device 7 for generating an electric field between the surfaces 3, 4, 5 to be processed and with a control device 8 which regulates or controls the energy of the electric field which is supplied to the surfaces 3, 4, 5 respectively, and with a measuring device 9 for determining the state of the treatment during the treatment process, wherein the treatment process can be regulated or controlled and / or terminated via the device 7 according to the determined state of treatment.

[0040] The single figure schematically shows a device 1 according to the invention for processing surfaces 3, 4, 5 from the side. The device 1 comprises a gas-tight housing 2 with a gas pressure lower than the ambient pressure, e.g., a pressure less than 1 bar, in particular less than 1 mbar, and in particular with a vacuum inside. The surfaces 3, 4, 5 are arranged in the housing 2. In the embodiment shown in the single figure, three surfaces 3, 4, 5 are depicted, wherein two surfaces 4 and 5 are arranged side by side in one plane for processing, and surface 3 is arranged opposite them, in particular parallel to the two grouped surfaces 4 and 5.

[0041] Surfaces 3, 4, and 5 are electrically connected. Surface 3 serves as the counter electrode to surfaces 4 and 5. An electric field is applied between surface 3 and surfaces 4 and 5. The energy of the electric field supplied to each surface 4 and 5 is regulated or controlled. For this purpose, a device for generating an electric field 7 and an associated control device 8 are provided, which are electrically connected to surfaces 3, 4, and 5, for example, via cables, in particular copper cables. The device for generating an electric field 7 and the control device 8 are arranged in separate devices or housings, or can be enclosed by a single device or housing, and may be located outside or inside the housing 2.

[0042] The surfaces 3, 4, 5 to be processed are, for example, metallic, glass-like, and / or ceramic surfaces, in particular copper, aluminum, steel, glass, and / or ceramic. When an electric field, in particular an alternating field with a frequency in the range of 10 Hz to 100 kHz or in the range of 16 Hz to 16 kHz, and / or a field strength greater than 1 kV / mm, in particular greater than 10 kV / mm, in particular greater than 100 kV / mm, is applied between surface 3 and the grouped surfaces 4 and 5, electrical discharges occur between surfaces 3, 4, 5. The discharges have, for example, the form of electric arcs. The discharges process the surfaces 3, 4, 5.

[0043] Particularly in areas of high roughness or at peaks on surfaces 3, 4, 5, overvoltages arise, which trigger arcing. These arcings cause local heating in the areas or at the peaks, especially with temperatures above the melting point of the surface material, e.g., greater than 1000 degrees Celsius. The local melting, or even the increase in the mobility of surface atoms and molecules below the melting temperature on surfaces 3, 4, 5, leads to a smoothing and tempering of the surfaces 3, 4, 5. Rough areas or peaks on surfaces 3, 4, 5 are removed. If a housing 2 is located near surfaces 3, 4, 5, areas of the housing can also be processed, in particular smoothed or tempered.In the case of high potential differences between housing 2 and surfaces 3, 4, 5, arcing can occur between housing 2 and surfaces 3, 4, 5, which leads to the machining of the inner surface of housing 2.

[0044] During the coating process, local contaminants, especially organic substances and / or dust particles, can also be desorbed or "burned off". Evaporated substances and / or particles can be removed from the housing 2 via an externally connected pump, in particular a vacuum pump, which for the sake of simplicity is not shown in the single figure.

[0045] The device 1 according to the invention comprises a measuring device 9 for determining the coating state during the coating process. The coating process can be regulated or controlled and / or terminated via the device 7 according to the determined coating state. The inventive method for in-situ determination of the coating state of surfaces 3, 4, 5, in particular with the device 1 according to the invention, comprises determining the degree of change of the surface or surfaces 3, 4, 5 over time under an applied electric field. The electric field is applied in a regulated or controlled manner between at least two surfaces 3, 4, 5, which are arranged in the common, gas-tight housing 2, at a gas pressure in the housing 2 lower than the ambient pressure of the housing. 2023PF12375 13

[0046] Measured parameters for determining the coating condition of surfaces 3, 4, 5 include, for example, the emission of visible light, particularly in the range of 400 to 780 nm, and / or the emission of electromagnetic radiation in the UHF range, particularly in the range of 300 MHz to 3 GHz, and / or the emission of X-rays, particularly in the range of 1 nm to 10 pm, and / or the emission of gamma radiation, particularly in the range of less than 10 pm, and / or the partial discharge pulse coupled out via coupling capacitors, particularly in the range of pC to nC, and / or the emission of infrasound, particularly less than 16 Hz, and / or the emission of audible sound, particularly in the range of 16 Hz to 20 kHz, and / or the emission of ultrasound, particularly in the range of 20 kHz to 1.6 GHz. The measurement is performed on at least one surface 3, 4, 5, on several surfaces 3, 4, 5 or on all surfaces 3, 4, 5, in particular with spatial resolution.

[0047] The measuring device 9 for measuring the measured quantities comprises, for example, one or more sensors arranged inside or outside the housing 2, e.g., opposite the surface 3, 4, 5, whose coating condition is to be determined. For example, one or more sensors may be arranged opposite one, several, or all surfaces 3, 4, 5. Furthermore, the measuring device 9 comprises, for example, transmitters for the physical measured quantities. B. for transmitting visible light, especially in the range of 400 to 780 nm, and / or electromagnetic radiation in the UHF range, especially in the range of 300 MHz to 3 GHz, and / or X-rays, especially in the range of 1 nm to 10 pm, and / or gamma radiation, especially in the range below 10 pm, and / or infrasound, especially below 16 Hz, and / or audible sound, especially in the range of 16 Hz to 20 kHz, and / or ultrasound, especially in the range of 20 kHz to 1.6 GHz. The transmitters are, for example,opposite, beside, or at an angle to the sensors. Other measuring devices may also be provided, such as coupling capacitors for measuring coupled partial discharge pulses, particularly in the range of pC to nC. 2023PF12375 14.

[0048] The sensors and / or transmitters are connected, for example, to a control and / or measuring device that controls the transmitters and / or evaluates the sensor signals. The evaluated sensor readings can be stored, for example, on hard drives and / or in the cloud, further processed, for example, by computers and / or cloud servers, and used to determine the coating state during the coating process of the surface(s) 3, 4, 5 and to regulate or control the coating process according to the determined coating state and / or to terminate the coating process. Thus, upon reaching a predetermined coating state, the coating process can be automatically stopped or terminated.The control or regulating device 8 for controlling and / or regulating the device for generating the electric field 7 can be controlled or regulated directly or indirectly by the measuring device 9 according to the measured values.

[0049] The measuring device 9 is shown only schematically in the single figure. Due to the numerous possible arrangements of transmitters and receivers, inside or outside the housing 2, depending on the quantities to be measured, individually or as a unit, and the measuring device, integrated into the sensors or separate, inside or outside the housing 2, it is not possible to represent all possibilities within the present scope. The figure shows only the basic principle of the measuring device 9 as an example.

[0050] Based on the measurement results of the measuring device 9, the control and regulating device 8 for controlling and / or regulating the device for generating the electric field 7 is controlled or regulated, in particular simultaneously or in a timely manner. In order to enable uniform surface treatment, the energy supplied to the surfaces 3, 4, 5 via the electric field is regulated or controlled, in particular automatically, e.g., predetermined automatically. For this purpose, predetermined programs can be defined according to which the energy supplied via the field is changed, depending on the measured quantities of the measuring device 9, in particular with spatial resolution. Thus, no random, disordered surface treatment takes place, but rather uniform surfaces 3, 4, 5 with, in particular, predetermined coating properties are produced.Unordered overflows, especially those with irregularly fluctuating fields due to the overflows, are avoided. Upon reaching a specific, particularly predetermined, compensation state of one, several, or all surfaces 3, 4, 5, the compensation process is terminated, e.g.

[0051] For large surfaces, especially those measuring several square centimeters, longer processing times are avoided or the processing time is reduced compared to unregulated or uncontrolled processing, particularly to a few seconds up to minutes. Uniform surface coating is achieved. The in-situ measurement of the measuring device 9 and simultaneous or near-simultaneous control or regulation of the control and regulation unit 8 for controlling and / or regulating the device for generating the electric field 7, depending on the measurement results of the measuring device 9, enables a coating process that is optimized in terms of time and can be terminated once the desired coating condition is reached.The removal and reinstallation of samples with surfaces 3, 4, 5 in housing 2, followed by evacuation of the housing to reduce pressure, to determine the surface quality at a specific point in time, or time-consuming sample series for new materials, are avoided. This saves time and costs and achieves a reliable surface coating with specific, reproducible coatings.

[0052] The energy of the electric field is supplied via the device 7 for generating an electric field between the surfaces 3, 4, 5 to be treated and is regulated or controlled via the control device 8. Regulation or control is carried out, for example, with regard to the number of flashovers 6 per unit of time and / or with regard to a total number of flashovers 6 across the applied electric field, i.e., a voltage between the surfaces. When a desired coating state of the surfaces 3, 4, 5 is reached, the field is switched off, for example, to end the coating process.

[0053] The embodiments described above can be combined with one another and / or with the prior art. For example, the housing 2 can be made of a material, in particular a homogeneous material such as a homogeneous insulator, or the gas-tight housing 2 can have electrically insulating areas, in particular comprising glass and / or ceramic, which dielectrically separate metal surfaces. For processing, high voltages, in particular voltages greater than 52 kV, are applied between the surfaces 3, 4, 5 and / or between the surfaces 3, 4, 5 and the housing 2. The housing 2 can, for example, have a hollow cylindrical shape with a circular or elliptical base, or other shapes such as a cuboid.

[0054] 2023PF12375 17

[0055] Reference character list

[0056] 1 Device for surface processing

[0057] 2 Housing 3 First surface

[0058] 4 second surface

[0059] 5 third surface

[0060] 6. Overlap between the surfaces

[0061] 7 Device for generating an electric field 8 Control or regulating device

[0062] 9 Measuring device for determining the remuneration status during the remuneration process

Claims

2023PF12375 18 Patent claims 1. A method for in-situ determination of the tempering state of surfaces (3, 4, 5), wherein the degree of change of the at least one surface (3, 4, 5) over time is determined under an applied electric field, and wherein the electric field between at least two surfaces (3, 4, 5) is regulated or controlled, and wherein the surfaces (3, 4, 5) are arranged in a common, gas-tight housing (2), with a gas pressure in the housing (2) less than the ambient pressure of the housing (2), characterized in that the determination of the tempering state takes place during the tempering process and the tempering process is regulated or controlled and / or terminated according to the determined tempering state.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the determination of the coating state of the surfaces (3, 4, 5) is carried out by measurement - the emission of visible light, especially in the range of 400 to 780 nm, and / or - the emission of electromagnetic radiation in the UHF range, especially in the range from 300 MHz to 3 GHz, and / or - the emission of X-rays, especially in the range of 1 nm to 10 pm, and / or - the emission of gamma radiation, especially in the range of less than 10 pm, and / or - the partial discharge impulses coupled out via coupling capacitors, especially in the range of pC to nC, and / or - the emission of infrasound, especially below 16 Hz, and / or - the emission of audible sound, especially in the range of 16 Hz to 20 kHz, and / or - the emission of ultrasound, especially in the range of 20 kHz to 1.6 GHz, of at least one surface (3, 4, 5) and / or all surfaces (3, 4, 5), is carried out, especially with spatial resolution. 2023PF12375 19 3. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least two surfaces (3, 4, 5) include metallic and / or ceramic surfaces, in particular those with an area greater than or equal to 100 mm² 2 , especially with an area greater than or equal to 100 cm² 2 4. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pressure used in the housing (2) is less than 1 bar, in particular less than 1 mbar.

5. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an alternating field or a pulsating direct field with a frequency in a range of 10 Hz to 100 kHz is used as the electric field, in particular in a range of 16 Hz to 16 kHz.

6. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the electric field used is a field with a field strength greater than 1 kV / mm, in particular greater than 10 kV / mm, and especially greater than 100 kV / mm.

7. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that energy is supplied to the surfaces (3, 4, 5) by the applied electric field, which causes a surface coating, wherein the energy is automatically regulated or controlled, in particular pre-determined automatically.

8. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that electrical discharges (6) occur through the electric field between the at least two surfaces (3, 4, 5), and the energy of the electric field supplied to each of the surfaces (3, 4, 5) is regulated or controlled with respect to the number of discharges (6) per unit of time and / or with respect to a predetermined total number of discharges (6). 2023PF12375 20 9. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that electrical discharges occur through the electric field between the at least two surfaces (3, 4, 5). (6) and the energy of the electric field supplied to the surfaces (3, 4, 5) is regulated or controlled such that the number of flashovers (6) per unit of time at the end of the procedure is 80% or less than the number of flashovers (6) per unit of time at the beginning of the procedure, and / or the number of flashovers (6) per unit of time is constant over a time interval in the range of seconds or minutes, in particular in the range of 30 seconds.

10. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an electric field is applied between more than two surfaces (3, 4, 5) in a common housing (2), wherein surfaces (4, 5) are in particular grouped together and subjected to an electric voltage.

11. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the gas-tight housing (2) has electrically insulating areas, in particular comprising glass and / or ceramic, through which metal surfaces are dielectrically separated.

12. Device (1) for carrying out a method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device (1) comprises at least one device (7) for generating an electric field between the surfaces to be processed, and that the device comprises a control or regulating device (8) which regulates or controls the energy of the electric field which is supplied to the surfaces (3, 4, 5) respectively, and wherein at least one measuring device (9) is included for determining the tempering state during the tempering process, and the tempering process is controlled via the device (7) according to the specified 2023PF12375 21 agreed remuneration status is regulatory or controllable and / or terminable.

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