Method of Making Titanium Boronitride Coatings Using Ion Beam Assisted Deposition: 6,200,649

A method of forming titanium boronitride coatings using ion beam assisted deposition. The method involves exposing the substrate to a vacuum, depositing titanium onto the substrate, substantially simultaneously exposing the substrate to a source comprising boron and nitrogen, and substantially simultaneously bombarding the substrate with an energetic beam of ions under conditions effective to form a quantity of titanium-boron bonds and a quantity of titanium-nitrogen bonds effective to produce a titanium boronitride coating having a hardness of at least about 5000 kg/mm.sup.2.