C23C COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04)
Introduced: September 1968
Description
C23C encompasses surface treatment and coating technologies for metals and metallic materials, including electroplating, electroless plating, and diffusion-based hardening processes such as carburizing and nitriding. It covers advanced vacuum-based deposition methods including physical vapor deposition (sputtering, evaporation), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and ion implantation for creating protective or functional coatings. The subclass also includes chemical conversion treatments that modify surface properties through oxidation or other chemical reactions, as well as corrosion inhibition techniques and methods to prevent incrustation. This classification excludes treatment of non-metallic substrates with metallic coatings (covered in C23D) and focuses specifically on metallic base materials and their surface enhancement.
Title
Titles differ between systems:
IPC: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL
CPC: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04)
Full Title
Full titles differ between systems:
COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL
COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04)
Additional Content IPC
Glossary
metallic material metallic materials metals; alloys which are metallic composite materials containing a substantial proportion of fibers or other somewhat larger particles; alloys which are ceramic compositions containing free metal used as a binder for carbides, diamond, oxides, borides, nitrides or silicides, e.g. cermets, or other metal compounds, e.g. oxynitrides or sulfides, other than as macroscopic reinforcing agents.
Limiting references
Making metal-coated products by extrusion Covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles , Metallizing of glass Metallizing mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone Enameling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals Treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis Single-crystal film growth Metallizing textiles Decorating textiles by locally metallizing
Of 16 combined children, 15 exist in both systems.
1 codes are CPC-only extensions.
Note: 1 CPC extensions are marked as secondary classification only.
7 shared codes have differing titles between IPC and CPC.
Child Classifications
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- C23C 10/00 Solid state diffusion of only metal elements or silicon into metallic material surfaces since 1985 IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
- C23C 12/00 Solid state diffusion of at least one non-metal element other than silicon and at least one metal element or silicon into metallic material surfaces since 1985 IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
- C23C 14/00 Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation of the coating forming material since 1985 +4 CPC IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
- C23C 16/00 Chemical coating by decomposition of gaseous compounds, without leaving reaction products of surface material in the coating, i.e. chemical vapour deposition [CVD] processes (reactive sputtering or vacuum evaporation C23C14/00) since 1985 +2 CPC IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
- C23C 18/00 Chemical coating by decomposition of either liquid compounds or solutions of the coating forming compounds, without leaving reaction products of surface material in the coating; Contact plating since 1985 IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
- C23C 2/00 Hot-dipping or immersion processes for applying the coating material in the molten state without affecting the shape; Apparatus therefor since 1985 +4 CPC IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
- C23C 20/00 Chemical coating by decomposition of either solid compounds or suspensions of the coating forming compounds, without leaving reaction products of surface material in the coating since 1985 IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
- C23C 22/00 Chemical surface treatment of metallic material by reaction of the surface with a reactive liquid, leaving reaction products of surface material in the coating, e.g. conversion coatings, passivation of metals since 1985 IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
- C23C 2222/00 Aspects relating to chemical surface treatment of metallic material by reaction of the surface with a reactive medium 2nd only +2 CPC CPC only CPC only
- C23C 24/00 Coating starting from inorganic powder (spraying of the coating material in molten state C23C4/00; solid state diffusion C23C8/00 - C23C12/00) since 1985 IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
- C23C 26/00 Coating not provided for in groups C23C2/00 - C23C24/00 since 1985 IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
- C23C 28/00 Coating for obtaining at least two superposed coatings either by methods not provided for in a single one of groups C23C2/00 - C23C26/00 or by combinations of methods provided for in subclasses C23C and C25C or C25D since 1985 +2 CPC IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
- C23C 30/00 Coating with metallic material characterised only by the composition of the metallic material, i.e. not characterised by the coating process (C23C26/00, C23C28/00 take precedence) since 1985 +1 CPC IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
- C23C 4/00 Coating by spraying the coating material in the molten state, e.g. by flame, plasma or electric discharge (build-up welding B23K, e.g. B23K5/18, B23K9/04) since 1985 IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
- C23C 6/00 Coating by casting molten material on the substrate since 1985 IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
- C23C 8/00 Solid state diffusion of only non-metal elements into metallic material surfaces (diffusion of silicon C23C10/00); Chemical surface treatment of metallic material by reaction of the surface with a reactive gas, leaving reaction products of surface material in the coating, e.g. conversion coatings, passivation of metals (C23C14/00 takes precedence) since 1985 IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
Top Applicants
Top Applicants (IPC)
Class C23,2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT
- APPLIED MATERIALS US 8,096
- TOKYO ELECTRON JP 3,985
- CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 2,842
- LAM RESEARCH CORPORATION US 2,654
- TOKYO ELECTRON 2,540
- NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION JP 2,465
- JFE STEEL JP 2,368
- ASM IP HOLDING NL 2,092
- APPLIED MATERIALS 1,877
- POSCO (POHANG IRON AND STEEL COMPANY) KR 1,782
Top Applicants (CPC)
Class C23,2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT
- APPLIED MATERIALS US 10,596
- TOKYO ELECTRON JP 5,229
- LAM RESEARCH CORPORATION US 3,622
- NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION JP 3,171
- JFE STEEL JP 3,128
- ASM IP HOLDING NL 2,722
- ARCELORMITTAL LU 2,481
- TOKYO ELECTRON 2,359
- APPLIED MATERIALS 2,284
- CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 2,110