Layer arrangement for the formation of a coating on a surface of a substrate, coating method, and substrate with a layer arrangement

1. Layer arrangement for the formation of a coating on a surface of a substrate or tool, the layer arrangement comprising: at least one hard layer having a composition Si a B b Me c N u C v O w with a,b>0 and 33 at %>c>0, and u, v, w>0, and Me being a metal.

2. Layer arrangement in accordance with claim 1 , wherein Me is at least one metal of the group consisting of Al, Cr, Mo, W, V,Nb, Ta, Ti, Zr, HF, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Li, Be, Mg, Sc, Y, La, Ce, Nd, and Sm.

3. Layer arrangement in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the surface of the substrate includes at least one connecting layer having a composition Me x E y N z , with x>0, y≧0 and z>0, wherein Me is at least one metal of the group consisting of Al, Cr, Mo, W, V,Nb, Ta, Ti, Zr, HF, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Li, Be, Mg, Sc, Y, La, Ce, Nd, or Sm, and E being an element of the group consisting of Si, B, C, and O.

4. Layer arrangement in accordance with claim 3 , wherein a first hard layer is provided having the composition Si a B b Me c N u C v O w , or having the composition Si a B b Me c C v N u , or having the composition Si a B b C v N u .

5. Layer arrangement in accordance with claim 4 , wherein between the substrate and the at least one hard layer and/or between the connecting layer and the at least one hard layer and/or between the first hard layer and the at least one hard layer an intermediate layer comprising the elements Si and/or C is provided.

6. Layer arrangement in accordance with claim 5 , wherein between the substrate and the at least one hard layer and/or between the connecting layer and the first hard layer and/or the first hard layer and the at least one hard layer a gradient-mixed layer is provided, comprising the elements Si and/or C of the intermediate layer and having the composition Si a B b Me c N u C v O w , or Si a B b Me c C v N u , or Si a B b C v N u of the first hard layer.

7. Layer arrangement in accordance with claim 6 , wherein an oxygen hard layer is provided, having the composition Si a B b MeN u C v O w , or a composition Si a B b N u C v O w , and an oxygen hard layer is provided as a protective hard layer.

8. Layer arrangement in accordance with claim 7 , wherein the thickness of the connecting layer and/or of the intermediate layer and/or of the at least one hard layer and/or of the first hard layer and/or of the gradient mixed layer and/or of the oxygen hard layer and/or of the protective layer is between 5 nm and 50000 nm, especially between 10 nm and 5000 nm, or between 80 nm and 600 nm.

9. Coating method for depositing a layer arrangement in accordance with claim 1 , wherein in a process chamber of a coating apparatus an RF-coating source, having an RF-magnetron and/or a DC-coating source and/or a DC-magnetron, is provided, wherein the RF-coating source and/or the DC-coating source and/or the DC-magnetron can be closed by a shutter, and wherein means are provided, so that a process gas can be supplied into the process chamber, and said coating method comprising the following steps:

a.) placing the substrate into the process chamber;

b.) heating the substrate to an ion-cleaning temperature;

c.) ion-cleaning the substrate at the ion-cleaning temperature;

d.) deposition of the layer arrangement using the RF-coating source and/or the DC-coating source and/or the DC-magnetron.

10. Coating method in accordance with claim 9 comprising the following steps:

a.) placing the substrate into the process chamber;

b.) heating the substrate to the ion-cleaning temperature;

c.) ion-cleaning of the substrate at the ion-cleaning temperature and feeding a bias constant-voltage and/or an RF-Voltage to the substrate to achieve an ion-cleaning;

d.) opening the shutter of the DC-coating source and/or the shutter of a first RF-coating source;

e.) deposition of a connecting layer onto the surface of the substrate, in particular a connecting layer ( 4 ) having a composition Me x E y N z , with x,y≧0 and z>0, wherein Me is at least a metal of the group consisting of Al, Cr, Mo, W, V,Nb, Ta, Ti, Zr, HF, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Li, Be, Mg, Sc, Y, La, Ce, Nd, or Sm, with E being an element of the group consisting of Si, B, C, O;

f.) deactivating the DC-coating source and/or the first RF-coating source and/or the DC-magnetron, opening a shutter of a second RF-coating source and putting said second RF-coating source into operation;

g.) deposition of an intermediate layer comprising elements Si and/or C by using the second RF-coating source;

h.) opening a shutter of a third RF-coating source, putting said third RF-coating source into operation and depositing in parallel with the second RF-coating source Si a B b Me c N u C v O w , according to the at least one hard layer by means of the second RF-coating source in order to deposit a gradient-mixed layer;

i.) deactivating the second RF-coating source and depositing the at least one hard layer having the composition Si a B b Me c N u C v O w , and keeping the third-coating source in operation until a preset thickness of the at least one hard layer is deposited;

j.) feeding a reactive gas comprising oxygen, nitrogen, or a carbon containing gas, into the process chamber and depositing an oxygen hard layer having the composition Si a B b Me c N u C v O w .

11. Coating method in accordance with claim 9 , wherein the DC-coating source and/or the RF-coating source and/or the DC-magnetron is a sputter-source and/or an arc evaporating source.

12. Coating method in accordance with claim 9 , wherein the coating process is carried out by means of a PVD-method, or an RF-sputter method and/or a DC-sputter method and/or a CVD-method and/or a PE-CVD method and/or a Laser-CVD method, and/or an ion-implantation method and/or a laser-ablation method and/or an arc-evaporation method and/or a cathodic and/or anodic arc-evaporation method.

13. A substrate or a tool coated by the coating method in accordance with claim 9 .

14. Tool in accordance with claim 13 , wherein the tool comprises a cutting tool, a drill, a milling cutter, a tool for a turning lathe or a plane, a conversion tool, a micro-tool, a micro-indexable insert, a micro-milling cutter, or a plastic tool.

15. Substrate in accordance with claim 13 , wherein the substrate is a wearing part for an air- or land-based turbine, an engine, a wearing part of a combustion engine, a gasket, a gearwheel, or a piston.

16. Substrate in accordance with claim 1 , wherein 25 at %>c>0.

17. Substrate in accordance with claim 1 , wherein 10 at %>c>0.

18. Substrate in accordance with claim 1 , wherein a+b+c=100%.

19. Layer arrangement for the formation of a coating on a surface of a substrate or tool, the layer arrangement comprising: at least one hard layer having a composition Si a B b Me c N u C y O w with a,b>0 and 33 at %>c>0, and u,v,w>0, and Me being a metal,

wherein the surface of the substrate includes at least one connecting layer having a composition Me x E y N z , with x>0, y>0 and z>0, wherein Me is at least one metal of the group consisting of Al, Cr, Mo, W, V,Nb, Ta, Ti, Zr, HF, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Li, Be, Mg, Sc, Y, La, Ce, Nd, or Sm, and E being an element of the group consisting of Si, B, C, and O.

20. Substrate in accordance with claim 18 , wherein u+v+w=100%.