Temperature stabilization of WC-Co cutting inserts with feedback to IR pyrometer upon growth of multilayer diamond coatings by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition

Abstract We produced microcrystalline diamond coatings with nanocrystalline top diamond layer on WC-Co cutting inserts in a microwave plasma (2.45 GHz) chemical vapor deposition reactor. The coatings have a high uniformity of the substrate surface owing to elimination of the plasma edge effect by application of a moveable quartz ring above the substrate holder. Computer modeling showed how the positioning of the ring changes the electromagnetic field around the substrates. A new approach was used to stabilize the temperature of the cutting inserts during the coating process, which is based on in situ control of the quartz ring position by proportional-integral-differential (PID) regulation. The coatings have been characterized with microRaman spectroscopy in a mapping mode in cross section of the samples. Depth profiles of diamond Raman peak position and width are demonstrated and the stress in the films is estimated, the minimum stress being determined for the cutting insert apex.