TiN Coatings on M2 Steel Produced by Plasma Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition

摘要

TiN films were deposited onto M2 steel using plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition. TiCl sub 4 , N sub 2 and H sub 2 were the reactant gases used at 1 torr. A plasma was essential for TiN formation at 500 deg C and below. At 500 deg C, a highly crystalline stoichiometric TiN coating was formed with a (200) surface orientation and having a columnar Zone 2 grain structure. At 400 deg C, a Zone T structure with an additional amorphous component was observed. Both types of films had good adherence with scratch adhesion critical loads comparable to values for sputtered TiN. The Zone 2 films failed by cracking and occasional chipping within the coating. The Zone T films failed by cracking in the coating and by chipping, within the coating and by the interface. AES depth profiling of thin films indicates that the interface was sharp and no accumulation of Cl is observed. AES and SEM suggest that distinct TiN islands or nuclei are present in the early stages of growth. The use of an organometallic source, titanium tetrakis (dimethylamide), resulted in the formation of carbonitride powders. 17 refs., 4 figs. (ERA citation 13:009121)