Mechanism of coating formation in conditions of impulse plasma deposition

In this work we investigated the mechanism of growth of the coatings produced under various conditions of the Impulse Plasma Deposition (IPD) process. The deposition of the coating material in this method proceeds on the non-heated substrate. Creation of the coating consists of a surface migration of the clusters which were formed in the plasma itself, fallowed by their uncompleted coalescence. We proved that various thermal conditions of the coating/substrate system could dramatically change the mechanism of coating formation. Some differences in the mechanism of the coating growth result in the radical change of its structure from the compact and homogenous to the strongly anisotropic. Additionally, we suggest a presence of supplementary process that participates in the coating creation that proceeds out of the main process of the deposition from the impulse plasma.