DESIGN OF VACUUM ARC-BASED SOURCES

Vacuum are sources can produce copious quantities of ions which can be used to engineer surfaces for tribological applications. The energeti c and ionic character of are-produced coating species can lead to unus ually hard, dense, slippery and/or adherent coatings which can be appl ied successfully to both flat surfaces and complex shapes. Are coating technology can take many forms with each having their own advantages and limitations. The purpose of the current review is to give the read er an overview of the wide range of options which are possible with va cuum are technology while providing specific detailed examples to show how several of these option sets translate into actual sourer designs . Emphasis is given to more recent findings.