Introduction. Obtaining high-quality thin metal films is important for advances in the technologies of applying antifriction and wear-resistant coatings on cutting tools or parts of friction couples. Various techniques of physical film deposition are applied using technologies of cathode (ion), magnetron and ion beam assisted sputtering. The work objective is to analyze, compare and determine the feasibility of techniques for the physical deposition of thin metal films when applying antifriction and wear-resistant coatings on cutting tools or parts of friction couples.

Materials and Methods. Technologies of cathode (ionic), magnetron and ion-beam sputtering are considered. Schematic diagrams, conditions and parameters of the considered processes are presented.

Results. An advanced technology for the deposition of thin films, alloying and hardening of the surfaces of metal parts is magnetron sputtering. Continuous wave (cw) magnetrons are used to apply coatings of complex composition or multilayer coatings on flat substrates. Ion beam sputtering is considered a slow sputtering of the target surface by bombardment with a high-energy ion beam and deposition on the substrate surface. Under the ion implantation, the surface of metals is doped with recoil atoms, which receive high energy from accelerated ions and move a few nanometers deeper. This enables to obtain ultra-thin doped layers. Low temperature of ion implantation, the possibility of sufficiently accurate control of the depth and the impurity distribution profile, create the prerequisites for the process automation. Wear tracks are more acidified under the same wear conditions on implanted steel compared to non-implanted steel. The nonequilibrium process under ion implantation causes the formation of such alloys in the surface layers that cannot be obtained under normal conditions due to diffusion of components or limited solubility. Ion implantation makes it possible to obtain alloys of a certain composition in the surface layer. Surface properties can be optimized without reference to the bulk properties of the material. Implantation is possible at low temperatures without a noticeable change in the size of the product.

Discussion and Conclusion. Cathode (ion), magnetron and ion-beam sputtering have common advantages: due to the relatively low temperature, the substrate does not overheat; it is possible to obtain uniform coatings; the chemical composition of the deposited coatings is accurately reproduced. The rest of the advantages and disadvantages of the considered methods are individual. The results can be used to create thin films through alternating magnetron and then ionbeam deposition processes, which enables to obtain films uniformly modified in depth. This is important in the production of parts of friction couples and cutting tools to improve their quality.