Morphology and properties of sputtered (Ti,Al)N layers on high speed steel substrates as a function of deposition temperature and sputtering atmosphere

Abstract

TiN hard coatings deposited on highspeed steel substrates by reactive direct current magnetron sputtering J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 5, 2180 (1987 10.1116/1.574949 Morphology and properties of sputtered HfN layers as a function of substrate temperature and sputtering atmosphere J.(Ti,AI)N layers were prepared by reactive dc and radio-frequency (rf) magnetron sputtering onto polished flat high speed steel (HSS) surfaces. The rectangular samples were mounted on a special sample holder providing a temperature gradient in the range of 500 °C to room temperature along the length of the sample. The (Ti,Al)N layers were deposited at various N2 and Ar pressures. The target was a Ti-50 at. % Al alloy. The film morphology and composition was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), respectively, and correlated to mechanical properties like hardness and critical load (scratch test). The results are discussed with the respect of the sputtering conditions.

Effect of Al substitution on Ti, Al, and N adatom dynamics on TiN(001), (011), and (111) surfaces

“…Since alloying TiN with AlN can be used to improve properties such as hardness [1][2][3][4][5][6] and oxidation resistance, [7][8][9] Ti 1−x Al x N thin films currently enjoy a wide range of applications, from wear-resistant coatings for high-speed cutting tools [10] to use as bio-implant coatings. [11] Ti 1−x Al x N is a metastable alloy which can be synthesized by low-temperature kineticallylimited physical vapor deposition, in which phase separation is hindered by lack of bulk diffusion and limited surface diffusion.…”

In situ X-ray scattering study of the cubic to hexagonal transformation of AlN in Ti1−xAlxN

“…As a protective hard coating on metal cutting inserts, Ti 1Àx Al x N has been extensively studied over the years since its discovery in the 1980s [1,2] and has been shown to phase transform isostructurally via spinodal decomposition at elevated temperatures [3][4][5][6][7]. The spinodal decomposition, where the cubic (B1) solid solution of c-Ti 1Àx Al x N decomposes into nanometer-sized coherent c-TiN-and c-AlN-rich domains [8][9][10], is responsible for a well-studied age hardening [11,12] at temperatures relevant for metal machining [13,14].…”

Pressure and temperature effects on the decomposition of arc evaporated Ti0.6Al0.4N coatings in continuous turning

“…Industrially important since the 1990s [1,2], Ti 1-x Al x N is a widely used physical vapor deposited hard coating with superior high temperature properties compared to its predecessor TiN. A contributor to this is the observed age hardening during annealing, which is an effect of the decomposition of the as-deposited unstable cubic (c)-Ti 1-x Al x N (B1) structure into nanometer sized c-TiN rich and c-AlN rich coherent domains [3,4].…”