C
SECTION C — CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
 C

Note(s)

  1. In section C, the definitions of groups of chemical elements are as follows:

    Alkali metals: Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, Fr

    Alkaline earth metals: Ca, Sr, Ba, Ra

    Lanthanides: elements with atomic numbers 57 to 71 inclusive

    Rare earths: Sc, Y, Lanthanides

    Actinides: elements with atomic numbers 89 to 103 inclusive

    Refractory metals: Ti, V, Cr, Zr, Nb, Mo, Hf, Ta, W

    Halogens: F, Cl, Br, I, At

    Noble gases: He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, Rn

    Platinum group: Os, Ir, Pt, Ru, Rh, Pd

    Noble metals: Ag, Au, Platinum group

    Light metals: alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, Be, Al, Mg

    Heavy metals: metals other than light metals

    Iron group: Fe, Co, Ni

    Non-metals: H, B, C, Si, N, P, O, S, Se, Te, noble gases, halogens

    Metals: elements other than non-metals

    Transition elements: elements with atomic numbers 21 to 30 inclusive, 39 to 48 inclusive, 57 to 80 inclusive, 89 upwards

  2. Section C covers :
    1. pure chemistry, which covers inorganic compounds, organic compounds, macromolecular compounds, and their methods of preparation;
    2. applied chemistry, which covers compositions containing the above compounds, such as: glass, ceramics, fertilisers, plastics compositions, paints, products of the petroleum industry. It also covers certain compositions on account of their having particular properties rendering them suitable for certain purposes, as in the case of explosives, dyestuffs, adhesives, lubricants, and detergents;
    3. certain marginal industries, such as the manufacture of coke and of solid or gaseous fuels, the production and refining of oils, fats and waxes, the fermentation industry (e.g., brewing and wine-making), the sugar industry;
    4. certain operations or treatments, which are either purely mechanical, e.g., the mechanical treatment of leather and skins, or partly mechanical, e.g., the treatment of water or the prevention of corrosion in general;
    5. metallurgy, ferrous or non-ferrous alloys.
  3. In all sections of the IPC, in the absence of an indication to the contrary, the Periodic System of chemical elements referred to is the one with 8 groups as represented in the table below. For example, group C07F 3/00 "Compounds containing elements of the 2nd Group of the Periodic System" refers to the elements of columns IIa and IIb. [2009.01]

    1. In the case of operations, treatments, products or articles having both a chemical and a non-chemical part or aspect, the general rule is that the chemical part or aspect is covered by section C.
    2. In some of these cases, the chemical part or aspect brings with it a non-chemical one, even though purely mechanical, because this latter aspect either is essential to the operation or treatment or constitutes an important element thereof. It has seemed, in fact, more logical not to dissociate the different parts or aspects of a coherent whole. This is the case for applied chemistry and for the industries, operations and treatments mentioned in Notes (1)(c), (d) and (e). For example, furnaces peculiar to the manufacture of glass are covered by class C03 and not by class F27.
    3. There are, however, some exceptions in which the mechanical (or non-chemical) aspect carries with it the chemical aspect, for example:
    4. In still other cases, the pure chemical aspect is covered by section C and the applied chemical aspect by another section, such as A, B or F, e.g., the use of a substance or composition for:
    5. When the chemical and mechanical aspects are so closely interlocked that a neat and simple division is not possible, or when certain mechanical processes follow as a natural or logical continuation of a chemical treatment, section C may cover, in addition to the chemical aspect, a part only of the mechanical aspect, e.g., after-treatment of artificial stone, covered by class C04. In this latter case, a note or a reference is usually given to make the position clear, even if sometimes the division is rather arbitrary.
  
METALLURGY
 C23
COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL (by metallising textiles D06M 11/00; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q 1/00); CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (for specific applications, see the relevant places, e.g. for manufacturing resistors H01C 17/06); INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL (treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D, C25F)  [2]
 C23

Note(s)

In this class, the following expression is used with the meaning indicated:

 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 (applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces in general B05; making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C 23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D 39/00, B23K; working of metal by the action of a high concentration of electric current on a workpiece using an electrode B23H; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B 41/00; paints, varnishes, lacquers C09D; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; inhibiting corrosion of metallic material or incrustation in general C23F; single-crystal film growth C30B; manufacture of semiconductor devices H01L; manufacture of printed circuits H05K)  [4]
 C23C

Note(s)

In this subclass, an operation is considered as pretreatment or after-treatment when it is specially adapted for, but quite distinct from, the coating process concerned and constitutes an independent operation. If an operation results in the formation of a permanent sub- or upper layer, it is not considered as pretreatment or after-treatment and is classified as a multi-coating process.  [4]

 C23C
Subclass index
COATING USING MOLTEN COATING MATERIAL 2/00 - 6/00
SOLID STATE DIFFUSION COATING 8/00 - 12/00
COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, SPUTTERING OR ION-IMPLANTATION 14/00
CHEMICAL COATING 16/00 - 20/00
CONTACT PLATING 18/00
CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT 22/00
COATING USING INORGANIC POWDER 24/00
OTHER COATING, MULTI-LAYER COATING 26/00, 28/00
COMPOSITION OF METALLIC COATING MATERIAL 30/00
 C23C 2/00 - 
C23C 6/00
Coating by applying the coating material in the molten state  [4]
P:110 C23C 2/00
Hot-dipping or immersion processes for applying the coating material in the molten state without affecting the shape; Apparatus therefor  [4]
 C23C 2/02
·  Pretreatment of the material to be coated, e.g. for coating on selected surface areas (C23C 2/30 takes precedence)  [4]
 C23C 2/04
·  characterised by the coating material  [4]
 C23C 2/06
·  ·  Zinc or cadmium or alloys based thereon  [4]
 C23C 2/14
·  Removing excess of molten coatings; Controlling or regulating the coating thickness (controlling or regulating thickness in general G05D 5/00)  [4]
 C23C 2/26
·  After-treatment (C23C 2/14 takes precedence)  [4]
 C23C 2/28
·  ·  Thermal after-treatment, e.g. treatment in oil bath  [4]
 C23C 2/30
·  Fluxes or coverings on molten baths (C23C 2/14 takes precedence)  [4]
 C23C 2/32
·  using vibratory energy applied to the bath or substrate (C23C 2/14 takes precedence)  [4]
 C23C 2/34
·  characterised by the shape of the material to be treated (C23C 2/14 takes precedence)  [4]
 C23C 2/36
·  ·  Elongated material  [4]
P:100 C23C 4/00
Coating by spraying the coating material in the molten state, e.g. by flame, plasma or electric discharge (built-up welding B23K, e.g. B23K 5/00, B23K 9/04; spraying guns B05B; making alloys containing fibres or filaments by thermal spraying of metal C22C 47/00; plasma guns H05H)  [4]
 C23C 4/02
·  Pretreatment of the material to be coated, e.g. for coating on selected surface areas  [4]
 C23C 4/04
·  characterised by the coating material  [4]
 C23C 4/06
·  ·  Metallic material  [4]
 C23C 4/08
·  ·  ·  containing only metal elements  [4]
 C23C 4/10
·  ·  Oxides, borides, carbides, nitrides, silicides or mixtures thereof  [4]
 C23C 4/12
·  characterised by the method of spraying  [4]
 C23C 4/18
·  After-treatment  [4]
P:90 C23C 6/00
Coating by casting molten material on the substrate  [4]
 C23C 8/00 - 
C23C 12/00
Solid state diffusion into metallic material surfaces  [4]
P:60 C23C 8/00
Solid state diffusion of only non-metal elements into metallic material surfaces (diffusion of silicon C23C 10/00); 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 (C23C 14/00 takes precedence)  [4]
 C23C 8/02
·  Pretreatment of the material to be coated (C23C 8/04 takes precedence)  [4]
 C23C 8/04
·  Treatment of selected surface areas, e.g. using masks  [4]
 C23C 8/06
·  using gases (discharge tubes with provision for introducing objects or material to be exposed to the discharge H01J 37/00)  [4]
 C23C 8/08
·  ·  only one element being applied  [4]
 C23C 8/10
·  ·  ·  Oxidising  [4]
 C23C 8/24
·  ·  ·  Nitriding  [4]
 C23C 8/80
·  After-treatment  [4]
P:70 C23C 10/00
Solid state diffusion of only metal elements or silicon into metallic material surfaces  [4]
P:50 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  [4]
 C23C 14/00
Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation  [4]
P:10 C23C 14/00
Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation of the coating forming material (discharge tubes with provision for introducing objects or material to be exposed to the discharge H01J 37/00)  [4]
 C23C 14/02
·  Pretreatment of the material to be coated (C23C 14/04 takes precedence)  [4]
 C23C 14/04
·  Coating on selected surface areas, e.g. using masks  [4]
 C23C 14/06
·  characterised by the coating material (C23C 14/04 takes precedence)  [4]
 C23C 14/08
·  ·  Oxides (C23C 14/10 takes precedence)  [4]
 C23C 14/10
·  ·  Glass or silica  [4]
 C23C 14/12
·  ·  Organic material  [4]
 C23C 14/14
·  ·  Metallic material, boron or silicon  [4]
 C23C 14/16
·  ·  ·  on metallic substrates or on substrates of boron or silicon  [4]
 C23C 14/18
·  ·  ·  on other inorganic substrates  [4]
 C23C 14/20
·  ·  ·  on organic substrates  [4]
 C23C 14/22
·  characterised by the process of coating  [4]
 C23C 14/24
·  ·  Vacuum evaporation  [4]
 C23C 14/26
·  ·  ·  by resistance or inductive heating of the source  [4]
 C23C 14/28
·  ·  ·  by wave energy or particle radiation (C23C 14/32-C23C 14/48 take precedence)  [4]
 C23C 14/32
·  ·  ·  by explosion; by evaporation and subsequent ionisation of the vapours (C23C 14/34-C23C 14/48 take precedence)  [4]
 C23C 14/34
·  ·  Sputtering  [4]
 C23C 14/35
·  ·  ·  by application of a magnetic field, e.g. magnetron sputtering  [5]
 C23C 14/36
·  ·  ·  Diode sputtering (C23C 14/35 takes precedence)  [4,5]
 C23C 14/42
·  ·  ·  Triode sputtering (C23C 14/35 takes precedence)  [4,5]
 C23C 14/46
·  ·  ·  by ion beam produced by an external ion source (C23C 14/36 takes precedence)  [4]
 C23C 14/48
·  ·  Ion implantation  [4]
 C23C 14/50
·  ·  Substrate holders  [4]
 C23C 14/52
·  ·  Means for observation of the coating process  [4]
 C23C 14/54
·  ·  Controlling or regulating the coating process (controlling or regulating in general G05)  [4]
 C23C 14/56
·  ·  Apparatus specially adapted for continuous coating; Arrangements for maintaining the vacuum, e.g. vacuum locks  [4]
 C23C 14/58
·  After-treatment  [4]
 C23C 16/00 - 
C23C 20/00
Chemical deposition or plating by decomposition; Contact plating  [4]
P:20 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 C23C 14/00)  [4]
 C23C 16/02
·  Pretreatment of the material to be coated (C23C 16/04 takes precedence)  [4]
 C23C 16/04
·  Coating on selected surface areas, e.g. using masks  [4]
 C23C 16/06
·  characterised by the deposition of metallic material  [4]
 C23C 16/16
·  ·  from metal carbonyl compounds  [4]
 C23C 16/18
·  ·  from metallo-organic compounds  [4]
 C23C 16/22
·  characterised by the deposition of inorganic material, other than metallic material  [4]
 C23C 16/26
·  ·  Deposition of carbon only  [4]
 C23C 16/30
·  ·  Deposition of compounds, mixtures or solid solutions, e.g. borides, carbides, nitrides  [4]
 C23C 16/32
·  ·  ·  Carbides  [4]
 C23C 16/34
·  ·  ·  Nitrides  [4]
 C23C 16/36
·  ·  ·  Carbo-nitrides  [4]
 C23C 16/38
·  ·  ·  Borides  [4]
 C23C 16/40
·  ·  ·  Oxides  [4]
 C23C 16/42
·  ·  ·  Silicides  [4]
 C23C 16/44
·  characterised by the method of coating (C23C 16/04 takes precedence)  [4]
 C23C 16/442
·  ·  using fluidised bed processes  [7]
 C23C 16/448
·  ·  characterised by the method used for generating reactive gas streams, e.g. by evaporation or sublimation of precursor materials  [7]
 C23C 16/453
·  ·  passing the reaction gases through burners or torches, e.g. atmospheric pressure CVD (C23C 16/50 takes precedence; for flame or plasma spraying of coating material in the molten state C23C 4/00)  [7]
 C23C 16/455
·  ·  characterised by the method used for introducing gases into the reaction chamber or for modifying gas flows in the reaction chamber  [7]
 C23C 16/458
·  ·  characterised by the method used for supporting substrates in the reaction chamber  [7]
 C23C 16/46
·  ·  characterised by the method used for heating the substrate (C23C 16/48, C23C 16/50 take precedence)  [4]
 C23C 16/48
·  ·  by irradiation, e.g. photolysis, radiolysis, particle radiation  [4]
 C23C 16/50
·  ·  using electric discharges  [4]
 C23C 16/52
·  ·  Controlling or regulating the coating process (controlling or regulating in general G05)  [4]
 C23C 16/54
·  ·  Apparatus specially adapted for continuous coating  [4]
 C23C 16/56
·  After-treatment  [4]
P:40 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 (chemical surface reaction C23C 8/00, C23C 22/00); Contact plating  [4]
 C23C 18/00

Note(s)

This group covers also suspensions containing reactive liquids and non-reactive solid particles.  [4]

 C23C 18/16
·  by reduction or substitution, i.e. electroless plating (C23C 18/54 takes precedence)  [4]
 C23C 18/18
·  ·  Pretreatment of the material to be coated  [4]
 C23C 18/20
·  ·  ·  of organic surfaces, e.g. resins  [4]
 C23C 18/31
·  ·  Coating with metals  [5]
 C23C 18/54
·  Contact plating, i.e. electroless electrochemical plating  [4]
P:30 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 (chemical surface reaction C23C 8/00, C23C 22/00)  [4]
 C23C 20/00

Note(s)

This group covers also suspensions containing non-reactive liquids and reactive solid particles.  [4]

P:80 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 (wash primers C09D 5/12)  [4]
 C23C 22/00

Note(s)

  1. This group covers also suspensions containing reactive liquids and non-reactive solid particles. [4]
  2. Rejuvenating of the bath is classified in the appropriate place for the specific bath composition. [4]
 C23C 22/02 - 
C23C 22/86

Note(s)

In groups C23C 22/02-C23C 22/86, in the absence of an indication to the contrary, classification is made in the last appropriate place.   [4]

 C23C 22/02
·  using non-aqueous solutions  [4]
 C23C 22/05
·  using aqueous solutions  [5]
 C23C 22/70
·  using melts  [4]
 C23C 22/73
·  characterised by the process  [4]
 C23C 22/78
·  Pretreatment of the material to be coated  [4]
 C23C 22/82
·  After-treatment  [4]
 C23C 22/86
·  Regeneration of coating baths  [4]
P:120 C23C 24/00
Coating starting from inorganic powder (spraying of the coating material in molten state C23C 4/00; solid state diffusion C23C 8/00-C23C 12/00; manufacture of composite layers, workpieces or articles by sintering metallic powder B22F 7/00; friction welding B23K 20/12)  [4]
P:130 C23C 26/00
Coating not provided for in groups C23C 2/00-C23C 24/00  [4]
 C23C 26/02
·  applying molten material to the substrate (applying melts to surfaces, in general B05)  [4]
P:0 C23C 28/00
Coating for obtaining at least two superposed coatings either by methods not provided for in a single one of main groups C23C 2/00-C23C 26/00, or by combinations of methods provided for in subclasses C23C and C25C or C25D  [4]
 C23C 28/02
·  only coatings of metallic material  [4]
 C23C 28/04
·  only coatings of inorganic non-metallic material  [4]
P:140 C23C 30/00
Coating with metallic material characterised only by the composition of the metallic material, i.e. not characterised by the coating process (C23C 26/00, C23C 28/00 take precedence)  [4]