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Abstract

A method of producing gold-color coatings on substrates by evaporating a coating material comprising a metallic titanium or zirconium in a housing which has walls which define an evaporation space, comprises, maintaining a vacuum atmosphere containing N.sub.2 and argon in the space. The method is carried out using an anode connected to a power source to produce a low voltage arc discharge in the vicinity of the coating material which is arranged within the evaporation space and also maintaining a low voltage arc between the anode and the substrates. A potential difference between the anode and the substrates of a range of between 5 v and 100 v are maintained during the process and, in addition, the electrical potential of the substrates is maintained between 0 and 150 volts lower than the potential of the housing walls which define the evaporation space. The substrate to be coated is coated at a rate of from between 1 to 15 nanometers per second. The N.sub.2 and argon atmosphere is maintained so that a partial pressure of the N.sub.2 -containing component ranges between 2.times.10.sup.-4 and 10.sup.-2 millbar. The potential difference between the anode and the substrates is reduced in the course of the process to release the sputtering threshold of the substrate and the housing wall. The partial pressure of the N.sub.2 -containing components continuously increase in the course of the process.

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