Improved Refractory Coatings and Method of Producing the Same

摘要

A thin sputtered film that exhibits improved adherence to a substrate and has improved friction and wear characteristics is described. These improvements are achieved by coating the substrate by rf sputtering with a film of titanium carbide using an argon sputtering plasma. A small nitrogen partial pressure from about 0.5% to 2.5% is added in the initial stages of the deposition during which the interface is formed. The improvements in adhesion of the titanium carbide coating to the substrate results from the presence of both titanium nitride and a nitride of the substrate in the interfacial region.