THE INFLUENCE OF ION IRRADIATION DURING FILM GROWTH ON THE CHEMICAL-STABILITY OF FILM SUBSTRATE SYSTEMS

The present review deals with aqueous corrosion of metal substrates co ated with thin films deposited from the vapour phase under concurrent bombardment with energetic ions (ion beam assisted deposition, IBAD). The influence of the main deposition process parameters such as the ra tio of impinging ions to condensing atoms, the ion energy, and ion inc idence angle is discussed. The features of corrosion resistant element al films such as aluminium, titanium, and niobium, and ceramic films s uch as titanium nitride, silicon nitride, and aluminium oxide on steel and aluminium, tested in dilute acids and salt brines, are described. The results show that the most important characteristics of corrosion resistant IBAD thin films are low microporosity and high adhesion.