Single- and dual-cathode DC magnetron sputtering was used to produce TiB2 coatings and CNx/ZrN multilayers, respectively, with hardness exceeding 40 GPa. The composition, structure, topography, and mechanical properties were determined by various techniques, including Auger electron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, high-resolution electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and nanoindentation. An optimum combination of the sputtering pressure and substrate bias results in the production of ultrasmooth TiB2 coatings with hardness up to 50 GPa and excellent wetting properties. The rationale for studying the CNx/ZrN system is that ZrN(111) provides excellent lattice match to the hypothetical β-C3N4(0001) face (β-C3N4 was predicted to have mechanical properties comparable to diamond). Using a dual-cathode sputtering system, we produced crystalline multilayers of CNx/ZrN with bilayer thickness of 1–2 nm. Using various combinations of nitrogen partial pressure, target powers, and substrate bias, we found that the hardness of these coatings correlates very strongly with the occurrence of (111) texture of ZrN, consistent with the lattice-match strategy. Even with a ZrN volume fraction of 70 percent, such multilayer coatings have been synthesized with hardness in the 50 GPa regime.
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April 1998
Research Papers
Synthesis of Coatings With Hardness Exceeding 40 GPa by Magnetron Sputtering
Mei-Ling Wu,
Mei-Ling Wu
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208
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Zunde Yang,
Zunde Yang
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208
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Yip-Wah Chung,
Yip-Wah Chung
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208
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Ming-Show Wong,
Ming-Show Wong
BIRL Industrial Research Laboratory, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60201
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William D. Sproul
William D. Sproul
BIRL Industrial Research Laboratory, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60201
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Mei-Ling Wu
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208
Zunde Yang
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208
Yip-Wah Chung
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208
Ming-Show Wong
BIRL Industrial Research Laboratory, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60201
William D. Sproul
BIRL Industrial Research Laboratory, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60201
J. Tribol. Apr 1998, 120(2): 179-183 (5 pages)
Published Online: April 1, 1998
Article history
Received:
December 3, 1996
Revised:
April 7, 1997
Online:
January 24, 2008
Citation
Wu, M., Yang, Z., Chung, Y., Wong, M., and Sproul, W. D. (April 1, 1998). "Synthesis of Coatings With Hardness Exceeding 40 GPa by Magnetron Sputtering." ASME. J. Tribol. April 1998; 120(2): 179–183. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.2834406
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