Obtaining TiN coatings by reactive anodic evaporation of titanium in a gas discharge with a self-heated hollow cathode

A method for TiN-coatings deposition by anodic evaporation of titanium in a high-current gas discharge (30 A) with a self–heated hollow cathode in an Ar+N$_2$ medium is proposed. Optical spectral analysis shows that a large amount of activated titanium is present in the gas-discharge plasma, and the proportion of metal ions coming from the plasma to the substrate, taking into account the single-charge ions, reaches 70%. At a nitrogen flow of 5 sccm, TiN-coatings with a thickness of 2 $\mu$m and a hardness of up to 24 GPa were obtained. The deposition rate at a distance of 7 cm from the vapor source was $\sim$4 $\mu$m/h.