HfN and VN thin¯lms were deposited onto silicon and 4140 steel substrates with r.f. reactive magnetron sputtering by using Hf and V metallic targets with 4-inch diameter and 99.9% purity in argon/nitrogen atmosphere, applying a substrate temperature of 250 C and a pressure of 1:2 Â 10 À3 mbar. In order to evaluate the structural, chemical, morphological, mechanical and tribological properties, we used X-ray di®raction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), nanoindentation, pin-on-disc and scratch tests. Film structure determined by XRD showed that FCC (NaCl-type)¯lms are formed in both the cases by -HfN and -VN phases. Hardness and elastic modulus values obtained for both the¯lms were 21 and 224 GPa for the HfN¯lm and 19 and 205 GPa for the VN¯lm, respectively. Additionally, the¯lms showed low friction coe±cient of 0.44 for HfN and 0.62 for VN when these¯lms were evaluated against 100 Cr6 steel, and¯nally the critical load was found at 41 N for the HfN¯lm and 34 N for the VN¯lm.
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