Boron and boron-based coatings as deposited by the cathodic arc technique

The technologies needed for deposition of boron and boron-based coatings by use of the cathodic arc plasma generation technique have been developed over a period of several years, with an eye to various applications. From a fundamental standpoint, boron and boron based coatings would appear to have a favorable combination of intrinsic advantages over competitive coatings, but the material has been intractable as far as synthesis is concerned. Potentially important properties of the material will be argued and supported. Technical achievements facilitating synthesis have included patented processes for synthesis of pure boron and boron carbide cathodes. The decision to develop the cathodic arc deposition process was based upon the fact that cathodic arc based plasma deposition is the most robust of the ion based physical deposition processes currently in industrial use. A further result of the present program is the development of a macroparticle filter, applicable to the technique, and which is based on a different design principle from previous filters. Applications under development include biomedical materials, shallow junction doping, aerospace, aluminum casting, and others.