Exploring the benefits of depositing hard TiN thin films by non-reactive magnetron sputtering

The aim of this paper is to compare the mechanical and tribological properties of TiN coatings prepared in a conventional magnetron sputtering chamber according to two different routes: the usual reactive sputtering of a Ti target in an Ar/N2 atmosphere vs. the comparatively more simple sputtering o...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Martínez Martínez, Diego, López Cartes, Carlos, Fernández Camacho, Asunción, Sánchez López, Juan Carlos
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión enviada para evaluación y publicación
Fecha de publicación:2013
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Sevilla (US)
Repositorio:idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla
OAI Identifier:oai:idus.us.es:11441/70372
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/11441/70372
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2013.01.098
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:TiN
Target
Magnetron sputtering
XRD
Stress
Hardness
Descripción
Sumario:The aim of this paper is to compare the mechanical and tribological properties of TiN coatings prepared in a conventional magnetron sputtering chamber according to two different routes: the usual reactive sputtering of a Ti target in an Ar/N2 atmosphere vs. the comparatively more simple sputtering of a TiN target in a pure Ar atmosphere. Improved properties in term of hardness and wear rates were obtained for films prepared by non-reactive sputtering route, due to the lower presence of oxynitride species and larger crystalline domain size. Additionally, a significant hardness enhancement (up to 45 GPa) is obtained when a −100 V d.c. bias is applied during growth. This behaviour is explained by non-columnar growth and small grain size induced by effective ion bombarding. These results demonstrate that non-reactive sputtering of TiN target appears a simple and efficient method to prepare hard wear-resistant TiN films.