Ti-AI-Si-C-N Hard Coatings Synthesized by Hybrid Arc-Enhanced Magnetron Sputtering

摘要

Ti-AI-Si-C-N coatings are deposited by hybrid arc-enhanced magnetron 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 probably nanocom-posites consisting of nanocrystallites and amorphous phases. They are generally in the form of nc-(Ti,Al)(C,N)/a-SiN/a-C, depending on the composition of the coatings. With increasing Al concentrations, the X-ray diffraction peaks shift to a lower angle and the measured hardness diminishes, implying a reduced contribution of the self-organized stable nanostructure. The dry friction coefficients of the Ti-AI-Si-C-N coatings are about 0.3, which is lower than that of conventional Ti-Si-N coatings. These coatings can find potential applications requiring heavy contact loading subject to high temperature.