Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7czq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T22:15:22.539Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effect of carbon content on thermal stability of Ti–Cx–Ny thin films

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2011

Y.H. Lu  and
Y.G. Shen
Y.H. Lu*
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Physics, Beijing University of Science and Technology, Beijing 100083, People’s Republic of China
Y.G. Shen
Affiliation:
Department of Manufacturing Engineering & Engineering Management, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

A series of Ti–Cx–Ny thin films with solid-solution and nanocomposite structures were deposited at 500 °C by reactive, unbalanced, direct-current magnetron sputtering. These films were subsequently vacuum annealed at 600, 700, 800, 900, and 1000 °C for 1 h. The effect of C content on the thermal stability of Ti–Cx–Ny thin films was investigated by way of studying the nanostructure and mechanical behaviors of pre- and postannealed samples using x-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and microindentation measurements. The result indicated that C content played a great role in the nanostructure of Ti–Cx–Ny thin films. A small amount of C fully dissolved in the TiN lattice and produced SS Ti(N,C) thin films. Nanocomposite nanocrystalline (nc)-Ti(N,C)/amorphous-(C, CNx) thin films were followed to be formed with the incorporation of more C. On the other hand, the addition of C had a positive effect on the structural stability of Ti–Cx–Ny thin films. This effect was further enhanced after the formation of a nanocomposite structure. However, neither C content nor film structure had an effect on the thermal stability of mechanical behaviors. Both microhardness and residual stress were successively decreased with temperature and did not show any temperature retardation. The decrease in hardness values was found to be attributed to a decrease of residual compressive stress because of defect annihilation and an increase in nc size.

Keywords

CompositeNanostructureNitride
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 23 , Issue 3 , March 2008 , pp. 671 - 678
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1PalDey, S., Deevi, S.C.: Single layer and multilayer wear resistant coatings of (Ti,Al)N: A review. Mater. Sci. Eng., A 342, 58 2003CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2Vepřek, S.: The search for novel, superhard materials. J. Vac. Sci. Technol., A 17(5), 2401 1999CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3Hultman, L.: Thermal stability of nitride thin films. Vacuum 57, 1 2000CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4Mayrhofe, P.H., Stoiber, M., Mitterer, C.: Age hardening of PACVD TiBN thin films. Scripta Mater. 53, 241 2005CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5Mayrhofe, P.H., Mitterer, C., Wen, J.G., Petrov, I., Greene, J.E.: Thermally induced self-hardening of nanocrystalline Ti-B-N thin films. J. Appl. Phys. 100, 0443011 2006Google Scholar
6Niederhofer, A., Nesládek, P., Männling, H-D., Moto, K., Vepřek, S., Jílek, M.: Structural properties, internal stress and thermal stability of nc-TiN/a-Si3N4, nc-TiN/TiSix and nc-(Ti1−yAlySix)N superhard nanocomposite coatings reaching the hardness of diamond. Surf. Coat. Technol. 120–121, 173 1999CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7Ertuerk, E., Knotek, O., Bergmer, W., Prengel, H-G., Heuvel, H-J., Dederichs, H.G., Stoessel, C.: Ti(C,N) coatings using the arc process. Surf. Coat. Technol. 46, 39 1991CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8Martínez-Martínez, D., Sánchez-Lopez, J.C., Rojas, T.C., Fernández, A., Eaton, P., Belin, M.: Structural and microtribological studies of Ti-C-N based nanocomposite coatings prepared by reactive sputtering. Thin Solid Films 472, 64 2005CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9Harlsson, L., Hörling, A., Johansson, M.P., Hultman, L., Rmanath, G.: The influence of thermal annealing on residual stresses and mechanical properties of arc-evaporated TiCxN1-x (x = 0, 0. 15 and 0.45) thin films. Acta Mater. 50, 5103 2002CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10McCulloch, D.G., Prawer, S., Hoffman, A.: Structural investigation of xenon-ion-beam-irradiated glassy carbon. Phys. Rev. B 50(9), 5905 1994CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11Carrasco, C.A., Vergara, S.V., Benavente, G.R., Mingolo, N., Rios, J.C.: The relationship between residual stress and process parameters in TiN coatings on copper alloy substrates. Mater. Character. 48, 81 2002CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12Sundgren, J.E., Rockett, A., Greene, J.E.: Microstructural and microchemical characterization of hard coatings. J. Vac. Sci. Technol., A 4(6), 2770 1986CrossRefGoogle Scholar
13Ferrari, A.C.: Determination of bonding in diamond-like carbon by Raman spectroscopy. Diamond Relat. Mater. 11, 1053 2002CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14Dillon, R.O., Woollan, J.A., Katanata, V.: Use of Raman scattering to investigate disorder and crystallite formation in as-deposited and annealed carbon films. Phys. Rev. B 29(6), 3482 1984CrossRefGoogle Scholar
15Hochella, M.F., Lindsay, J.R., Mossotti, V.G., Eggleston, C.M.: Sputter depth profiling in mineral-surface analysis. Am. Miner. 73, 1449 1988Google Scholar
16Mayrhofer, P.H., Willmann, H., Mitterer, C.: Recrystallization and grain growth of nanocomposite Ti-B-N coatings. Thin Solid Films 440, 174 2003CrossRefGoogle Scholar
17Vepřek, S., Haussmann, M., Reiprich, S.: Superhard nanocrystalline W2N/amorphous Si3N4 composite materials. J. Vac. Sci. Technol., A 14(1), 46 1996CrossRefGoogle Scholar