“…The TiC/a-C thin films exhibited a Vickers microhardness of 1634 HV 0.05 and showed a critical load of failure, L C1 , in scratch testing of 40 N. Their elemental composition was determined by electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA, Cameca Camebax system, CAMECA, Gennevilliers, France): 23.4 at.% Ti, 75.4 at.% C, 1.2 at.% contamination by Ar, O, N. These values correspond well with the composition of the compound target. Microstructural characterization by means of X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (crosssectional dark field imaging, selected area diffraction) and Raman spectroscopy revealed the coexistence of a nanocrystalline TiC phase with grain size in the range of 5 nm, homogeneously dispersed in an amorphous carbon matrix [23,107,108].…”