A hybrid gas-discharge device combining a planar magnetron with a plasma ion source is considered. A flat central copper anode, which performs the functions of a target sputtered by an ion beam, is installed relative to the direction of incidence of the sputtering ion beam, normally at an angle of 0° and obliquely at an angle of 45°–50° (with the possibility of rotation), and the axis of rotation of the anode coincides with the axis symmetry of the ion beam. Longitudinal injection of an ion beam into the magnetron and sputtering of the titanium cathode of the magnetron by the ion beam supports the ignition of an anomalous low-pressure glow discharge <8 × 10^–2 Pa in the magnetron. It has been established that the discharge ignition voltage drops with increasing ion energy and depends in a threshold manner on the ion beam current. In the approximation of kinetic energy transfer in collision cascades, a numerical estimate of the sputtering coefficient of the magnetron copper anode is considered. It is shown that when a 1–10 keV ion beam is injected into the magnetron, the sputtering coefficient of a normally installed copper anode of the magnetron is 3–6 atoms per incident ion. With an oblique incidence of sputtering ions and other equal conditions, the sputtering coefficient of the copper anode of the magnetron increases from 6 to 9 atoms per incident ion. In this case, the maximum grouping of sputtered copper atoms on the growth surface of the substrate is achieved, which makes it possible to introduce and control with high precision and in small proportions (units at %) an impurity, in particular copper, under the conditions of the synthesis of superhard TiN–Cu coatings by reactive magnetron sputtering and specifically influence the nanocrystalline structure of coatings.

A plasma-chemical reactor based on the principle of coupling of gas-discharge processes in a VU-1B vacuum installation has been developed. This plasma-chemical reactor combine vacuum-arc evaporation of titanium in a nitrogen-containing plasma and ion-plasma sputtering of copper with the formation of copper vapor. The basis of this method of coatings deposition is the principle of dosing the injection copper vapor into the region of TiN synthesis through a separating diaphragm with a variable metering aperture, which prevents penetration of a titanium vapor into the copper cathode of the magnetron. The synthesis of TiN coatings in copper vapors has been carried out with the formation of nanostructured composite TiN-Cu coatings.

The features of the formation of TiN–Cu composite coatings using the hybrid method of vacuum-arc evaporation of titanium and magnetron sputtering of copper are considered. It has been shown that under the selected conditions for the TiN synthesis copper does not form chemical compounds with titanium and nitrogen. The structure and properties of TiN–Cu composite coatings are examined. The introduction of copper into the coating composition leads to the grinding of the nitride phase crystallites. A maximum microhardness of coatings of 37–41 GPa is achieved at a copper concentration of ~3–7 at %. The technological parameters allowing the application of wear-resistant functional TiN–Cu coatings on T15K6 alloy substrates have been determined.

The design and main parameters of a plasma–chemical reactor containing two compartments are presented. One compartment houses a vacuum-arc evaporator, while the other houses a planar magnetron. The compartments are separated by a diaphragm with a dosing slot for injecting copper vapor into the TiN synthesis compartment. The conditions for the synthesis of superhard TiN-Cu composite coatings are experimentally determined. Based on established process parameters for TiN synthesis in a nitrogen-containing plasma by Ti evaporation using a vacuum-arc discharge, it is proposed to apply TiN-Cu coatings by injecting Cu vapor into the TiN synthesis area and sputtering Cu using a magnetron discharge. XRD analyses of both TiN and TiN-Cu coatings show the presence of WC, Ti₂C, and TiN. EDS analysis confirms 5.57 at. % copper on the surface of the TiN-Cu coating. Real-life operating tests of TiN-Cu coatings on replaceable WC-TiC-Co (79/15/6 wt.%) alloy hexagonal inserts used for cutting 40Kh steel revealed that applying the TiN-Cu coating extends the tool life of WC-TiC-Co inserts by about 2.5 times compared with uncoated tools. Cutting force measurements on TiN-Cu-coated inserts showed no vibration or noise during cutting, driven by a reduced friction coefficient and improved heat dissipation at the contact zone between the cutting edge and the workpiece, thereby lowering the temperature in that area.

The paper studies the structure and properties of TiN and TiN-Cu coatings obtained by a hybrid technology of vacuum arc evaporating of a titanium target and ion-plasma sputtering of a copper target. The experiments were carried out in a plasma-chemical reactor of new-design with the possibility of injecting copper vapor into the region of TiN synthesis through a separating diaphragm with a variable metering aperture.