Macroparticle-free Ti-Al films by newly developed coaxial vacuum arc deposition

Titanium aluminide thin films are deposited on glassy carbon substrates by the coaxial vacuum are deposition process. A rod-shaped Ti-Al alloy is empl oyed as the evaporation source. In our vacuum arc system, because the spati al position of plasma on the surface of the evaporation source can be contr olled by pulsed are discharge, the thickness of the Ti-Al film can be contr olled at nanometer scale. Amorphous stoichiometric Ti-Al films are synthesi zed from one Ti-Al alloy target at room temperature by changing the number of pulses of the are discharge. Multilayered Ti and Al films could also be fabricated by changing the target and the number of pulsed are discharges.