Current insulated bearing components and bearings

1. A bearing component of steel, the bearing component having:

at least one layer having a high hardness and a high current insulation property applied by at least one of a PVD (physical vapor deposition) process, a CVD (chemical vapor deposition) process, and a PECVD (plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition) process (but excluding an ALD (atomic layer deposition) process or a plasma enhanced ALD process) at at least one surface region of said component, said at least one layer comprising a non-conductive oxide layer selected from the group of materials comprising an Al 2 O 3 layer, a Ta x O y layer, an Si x O y layer, a mixed layer comprising two or more of the foregoing oxides, a multilayer structure comprising alternating layers of two or more of the foregoing oxides and a DLC (diamond-like carbon) layer; and

at least one ALD layer comprising at least one layer of a material deposited by an ALD process on said at least one layer having a high hardness and a high current insulation property, the ALD layer itself having a high current insulation property and comprising a material or layer structure selected from the group of materials comprising an Al 2 O 3 layer, a Ta x O y layer, an Si x O y layer, a TiO 2 layer, an HfO 2 layer, a mixed layer comprising two or more of the foregoing oxides, and a multilayer structure comprising alternating layer of two or more of the foregoing oxides.

2. A bearing component in accordance with claim 1 , the bearing component being selected from the group comprising a component of a linear bearing, a component of a rolling element bearing and a component of a sliding bearing.

3. A bearing component in accordance with claim 1 , the component being selected from the group comprising a bearing race, a rolling element a tapered roller, a barrel roller, a needle roller, a bearing ball and a rolling element cage.

4. A bearing component in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the at least one layer applied by at least one of a PVD (physical vapor deposition) process, a CVD (chemical vapor deposition) process, and a PECVD (plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition) process (but excluding an ALD process or a plasma enhanced ALD process) has a composition and that composition is at least substantially the same as a composition of the layer deposited by the ALD process.

5. A bearing component in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the said at least one layer applied by at least one of a PVD (physical vapor deposition) process, a CVD (chemical vapor deposition) process, and a PECVD (plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition) process (but excluding an ALD process or a plasma enhanced ALD process) has a thickness in the range from 0.5 microns to 4 microns and the ALD layer has a thickness in the range from 1 nm to 1000 nm.

6. A bearing component in accordance with claim 5 , wherein the thickness of the ALD layer is in the range from 10 to 50 nm.

7. A bearing component in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the steel of which the article is made is a martensitic grade of steel.

8. A bearing component in accordance with claim 7 , wherein the martensitic grade of steel is at least one of a bearing steel and a coldworkable steel.

9. A bearing component in accordance with claim 7 wherein the martensitic grade of steel is one of 100Cr6 , 100CrMn6, 16MnCr5, or X30CrMoN 15 1, and a steel in accordance with Din: 1.4108 or SAE: AMS5898.

10. A bearing component in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the at least one layer having a high hardness and a high current insulation property applied by at least one of a PVD (physical vapor deposition) process, a CVD (chemical vapor deposition) process, and a PECVD (plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition) process (but excluding an ALD process or a plasma enhanced ALD process) is provided with an additional PVD layer deposited by one of arc sputterin,), magnetron sputtering, reactive magnetron sputtering and dual magnetron sputtering, any of the foregoing optionally with plasma enhancement prior to the deposition of the ALD layer.

11. A bearing component in accordance with claim 10 , wherein the arc sputtering is carried out by filtered arc sputtering using at least one rectangular or round sources and the laser arc deposition is carried out using at least one cylindrical source and the magnetron sputtering is carried out using at least one of a rectangular sources, a round source, a cylindrical source and first and second opposed magnetron sources.

12. A bearing comprising a bearing component of steel, the bearing component having:

at least one layer having a high hardness and a high current insulation property applied by at least one of a PVD (physical vapor deposition) process, a CVD (chemical vapor deposition) process, and a PECVD (plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition) process (but excluding an ALD (atomic layer deposition) process or a plasma enhanced ALD process) at at least one surface region of said component, said at least one layer comprising a non-conductive oxide layer selected from the group of materials comprising an Al2O3 layer, a TaxOy layer, an SixOy layer, a mixed layer comprising two or more of the foregoing oxides, a multilayer structure comprising alternating layers of two or more of the foregoing oxides and a DLC (diamond-like carbon) layer; and

at least one ALD layer comprising at least one layer of a material deposited by an ALD process on said at least one layer having a high hardness and a high current insulation property, the ALD layer itself having a high current insulation property and comprising a material or layer structure selected from the group of materials comprising an Al 2 O 3 layer a Ta x O y layer, an Si x O y layer, a TiO 2 layer, an HfO 2 layer, a mixed layer comprising two or more of the foregoing oxides, and a multilayer structure comprising alternating layers of two or more of the foregoing oxides.

13. A machine comprising a bearing component of steel, the bearing component having:

at least one layer having a high hardness and a high current insulation property applied by at least one of a PVD (physical vapor deposition) process, a CVD (chemical vapor deposition) process, and a PECVD (plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition) process (but excluding an ALD (atomic layer deposition) process or a plasma enhanced ALD process) at at least one surface region of said component, said at least one layer comprising a non-conductive oxide layer selected from the group of materials comprising an Al 2 O 3 layer, a Ta x O y layer, an Si x O y layer, a mixed layer comprising two or more of the foregoing oxides, a multilayer structure comprising alternating layers of two or more of the foregoing oxides and a DLC (diamond-like carbon) layer; and

at least one ALD layer comprising at least one layer of a material deposited by an ALD process on said at least one layer having a high hardness and a high current insulation property, the ALD layer itself having a high current insulation property and comprising a material or layer structure selected from the group of materials comprising an Al 2 O 3 layer, a Ta x O y layer, an Si x O y layer, a TiO 2 layer, an HfO 2 layer, a mixed layer comprising two or more of the foregoing oxides, and a multilayer structure comprising alternating layer of two or more the foregoing oxides.