Ti-Al-Si-C-N hard coatings synthesized by hybrid arc enhanced magnetron sputtering

Ti-Al-Si-C-N coatings are deposited by hybrid arc-enhanced magnetic sputtering and characterized by various micro- and macro-tools. X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveal that the coatings are nanocomposites consisting of nanocrystallites and amorphous phases. They are generally in the form of nc-(Ti,Al)(C,N)/a-Si₃N₄/a-C depending on the composition of the coatings. With increasing Al concentrations, the X-ray diffraction peaks shift to a lower angle indicating compressive stress in the coatings. The measured hardness also diminishes implying reduced contributions from the self-organized stable nanostructure. The dry friction coefficients of the Ti-Al-Si-C-N coatings are found to be about 0.3 which is lower than that of conventional Ti-Si-N coatings. These coatings can find potential applications requiring high temperature with heavy contact loading. (author)