Nanostructured multilayers of TiN/ZrN obtained by magnetron sputtering

Abstract

In order to find an industrial application for thin films of TiN and ZrN monolayers, as well as TiN/ZrN multilayers were deposited onto silicon (100) and AISI 5160 steel substrates by r.f. (13.56 MHz) multitarget magnetron sputtering from high-purity (99.5 %) Ti and (99.5%) Zr targets in an Ar (93%) / N 2 (7%) gas mixture. For their deposition, we applied a substrate bias voltage of -100 V and a target power of 350 W. The films were deposited at a pressure of 6x10 -3 mbar and a temperature of 250 o C. The structure, composition, morphology, and topography were characterized by, XRD, FTIR, SEM, AFM, and optical microscopy. Mechanical properties like hardness and elastic modulus were determined by Nanoindentation. Hardness and elastic modulus of the films increased proportionally to the number of bilayers. Finally, cutting tools were coated with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 bilayers of TiN/ZrN. Cutting tests on paper blades were conducted. Increased cut quality performance was observed for cutting tools coated with 8 bilayers, as compared to uncoated tools. This work opens the possibility to use coated AISI 5160 as cutting tools for the paper industry, reducing the import of expensive high-quality tool steel.

Carbon ions irradiation induced modifications in structural and electrical resistivity characteristics of ZrN thin films

“…5. The as-grown films spectrum indicates a broad band centered at 689 cm À 1 corresponding to stretching vibrations of Zr-N simple bonds [7,13]. The spectrum also depicts a band for ZrO 2 at 1040 cm À 1 , which appears due to thin oxide layer formed on ZrN surface.…”

Structural and electrical resistivity characteristics of vacuum arc ion deposited zirconium nitride thin films

“…6(a). It indicates a broad band centered at 680 cm À 1 corresponding to the stretching vibrations of Zr-N simple bonds [22]. Spectrum also depicts a band for ZrO 2 at 1075 cm À 1 , possibly due to thin oxide layer formed on ZrN surface.…”

Mechanical and Tribological Properties Evolution of [Si3N4/Al2O3]n Multilayer Coatings

“…With the aim that the substrate would not present a contribution to the results, the indentations were made at 10% of the total thickness of the coating. The Hall-Petch effect was used to model the mechanical behavior of the multilayer materials with layer thicknesses between 1-100 nm, modifying the Hall-Petch effect in the following equation ( 2) [20]:…”

“…This material is commonly used on surface that are exposed to frictional wear and erosion by solid particles, as well as surfaces exposed to high temperatures [13]. However, literature has shown that there is substantial improvements when multilayer systems are developed instead of conventional single layer system such as [HfV/VN]n [14], [TiN/ZrN]n [15], [TiN/TiAlN]n [16], among other multilayers [17][18][19][20], bringing together the best characteristics of multiple layers. One example of these characteristics their multilayer structure, which by presenting symmetry breaks between each layer, a resistance to crack propagation is generated, increasing the mechanical and tribological properties.…”