Objective Integrated system consisting by LCHSSE and CFUBMS (and MS) units advantageous for high tech manufacturing operations. In-situ/real-time monitoring & control of processes, e.g. etching, thin film growth, stoichiometry & thickness.The LCHSSE as a stand-alone systemMultilayer a-C, Cr/a-C and carbon/chromium coatings deposited by MS and CFUBMS with hardness ranging from 16-35 GPa showing good adhesion to the substrate, low friction & corrosion resistance. The above coatings will also exploited in corrosion/wear resistant applications.TiNx thin films (on quartz) showed low electrical resistivity, chemical and metallurgical stability and exceptional mechanical properties not only as material for high quality and frequency piezoelectric resonators but also in the fields of diffusion barriers, gate electrodes, and contact layers in solar cells.Graphit-iC TM coating has demonstrated during bench tests extended lifetime of piston seals for the compression of natural Gas (Natural gas vehicle applications).The present project is dictated by the current demand of manufacturing companies of razor and industrial blades, bearings and seals and piezoelectric quartz oscillators for improved product and component performance via the use of thin film surface coatings. The coatings materials properties of concern here are hardness, friction, thermal and chemical stability, adhesion, fracture strength and wear resistance. Optimization of these properties may be attained in the candidate coatings, which are single, graded or multilayered DLC and/or TiNx based thin film structures, through in situ, (during film growth), monitoring and control of their stoichiometry, composition, microstructure and thickness. For the purpose of in situ control, a low cost, high speed unit based on the Spectrometric Ellipsometry (SE) technique, is to be first developed in this project and further developed into a commercially available instrument of distinct competitive advantages. The deposition techniques to be used for the development and production of the surface coatings will be magnetron sputtering (MS) and its variation known as closed film unbalanced magnetron sputtering (CFUBMS). The latter will also be developed into a new line of superior industrial deposition systems equipped with the above in situ monitoring low cost high speed SE (LCHSSE) unit. Technology transfer of pertinent materials and process advances and deployment of the LCHSSE unit will take place through pilot line operations as per individual manufacturing and time scale needs and all within a few months to 1.5 years after compietion of the project. All techniques and materials used and innovations and advances yielded by this project are safe, environmentally friendly, cost effective and socially beneficial. The consortium consists of three industrial manufacturers, whose products may critically depend, for their performance and functionality, on thin film surface coatings of specific property combinations, a manufacturer of CFUBMS systems and coating service provider, a leading optical instrumentation company committed to extending lab scale high cost instrumentation into the field of real time processing, a major University pioneering the application of SE as an in situ monitoring process and a well known research center specializing in novel thin film characterization techniques. Note: The present project cuts industrial scale horizontally across most forthcoming Task Forces set up by the European Commission. Fields of science natural sciencesphysical scienceselectromagnetism and electronicsnatural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistrytransition metalsengineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsfossil energynatural gasengineering and technologymaterials engineeringcoating and filmsengineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectrical engineeringpiezoelectrics Programme(s) FP4-BRITE/EURAM 3 - Specific research and technological development programme in the field of industrial and materials technologies, 1994-1998 Topic(s) 0203 - Reliability and quality of materials and products Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme CSC - Cost-sharing contracts Coordinator ARISTOTLE UNIVERSITY OF THESSALONIKI Address University campus 54006 Thessaloniki Greece See on map EU contribution No data Participants (6) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all FEDERAL INSTITUTE FOR MATERIAL RESEARCH AND TESTING Germany EU contribution € 0,00 Address Unter den eichen 87 12205 Berlin See on map Other funding No data Instruments SA Division Jobin Yvon France EU contribution € 0,00 Address 16-18,rue du canal 16-18 91165 Longjumeau See on map Other funding No data Netcom SA Greece EU contribution € 0,00 Address 4,metamorfoseos 4 15344 Glykanera-attiki See on map Other funding No data Sulzer Innotec AG Switzerland EU contribution € 0,00 Address Hegifeldstrasse 16 8404 Winterthur See on map Other funding No data TEER COATINGS LTD United Kingdom EU contribution € 0,00 Address Hartlebury 290, trading estate, hartlebury DY10 4JB Kidderminster,hartlebury See on map Other funding No data Violex - Bic SA Greece EU contribution € 0,00 Address 5,konstantinoupoleos 5 12132 Peristeri See on map Other funding No data
