Measurement of Mechanical Properties of Single and Multilayered Nitride thin Films Prepared by Cathodic Arc Deposition

Abstract

Mechanical properties of thin films differ significantly from those of bulk materials due to the effects of interfaces, microstructure and thick underlying substrates. In this study we will present the results of nanoindentation tests to evaluate mechanical properties of nitride (TiN, ZrN, CrN, TiCN and TiAlN) thin films. Films were coated on steel substrates using cathodic arc deposition technique. Surface morphology and roughness of the samples are investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Films were also characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. Nanoindentation technique along with AFM and XRD methods are very useful for characterizing hard thin coatings.

Low temperature quaternary hard coatings with Cr- to Ti-based transition composition

“…Because of these properties, the Cr/CrN stack is widely applied for implementation as adhesive layers in hard coatings with multi-element composition structures. The performance and reliability of the binary hard coatings, like TiN and CrN, are limited by their mechanical properties [4]. The addition of Al improves the thermal stability and oxidation resistance of binary coatings; at present, in multicomponent and multilayer design it is an important way of increasing the hardness of Cr and Ti-based nitride coatings for cutting tools applications [5].…”