Ion plating

Ion plating is a vapour deposition technique in which high energies are imparted to the depositing vapour atoms by means of a glow discharge. The high energy deposition leads to remarkable adhesion even when the coating and substrate materials do not alloy. The technique and apparatus are described and the mechanism producing the high adhesion is discussed briefly. Ion plating finds application in many fields but notably in providing corrosion and wear resistance and low friction. A number of typical applications are described. (author)