Mechanical properties of TiN films prepared in glow-arc transition region

ABSTRACT

Titanium nitride (TiN) films were generated in the abnormal glow discharge (AGD) region and the glow-arc transition discharge (GATD) region by varying target current density (J_a) in an Ar/N₂ atmosphere in the pulsed DC magnetron sputtering system. The effects of different discharge regions on the structure and mechanical properties of TiN films were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), scratch test and micro-hardness test. The results indicated that all TiN films exhibited a strong (220) preferred orientation. J_a of 0.24 A cm⁻² was a demarcation point between the AGD and GATD region. Compared with the AGD films, the GATD TiN films exhibited smooth surface, regular dense columnar structures and small grain sizes. Especially, TiN films deposited at 0.4 A cm⁻² showed the highest hardness (2388 HV) and the best adhesion (up to 55 N).

KEYWORDS:

• TiN
• glow-arc transition discharge region
• magnetron sputtering
• mechanical properties
• abnormal glow discharge region
• target current density
• adhesion
• hardness‌

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the project from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51571114) and the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China: [Grant Number No. 51571114].