Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-p9bg8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T15:46:58.741Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Evolution of the microstructure, residual stresses, and mechanical properties of W–Si–N coatings after thermal annealing

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 March 2011

A. Cavaleiro ,
A.P. Marques ,
J.V. Fernandes ,
N.J.M. Carvalho  and
J.Th. De Hosson
A. Cavaleiro*
Affiliation:
Instituto Ciência e Engenharia de Materiais e Superficies, Dep. de Engenharia Mecânica, Universidade de Coimbra, 3030 Coimbra, Portugal
A.P. Marques
Affiliation:
Instituto Ciência e Engenharia de Materiais e Superficies, Dep. de Engenharia Mecânica, Universidade de Coimbra, 3030 Coimbra, Portugal
J.V. Fernandes
Affiliation:
Centro de Engenharia Mecânica da Universidade de Coimbra, Dep. de Engenharia Mecânica, Universidade de Coimbra, 3030 Coimbra, Portugal
N.J.M. Carvalho
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Physics and Netherlands Institute for Metals Research, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, The Netherlands
J.Th. De Hosson
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Physics and Netherlands Institute for Metals Research, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, The Netherlands
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: albano.cavaleiro@dem.uc.pt
Get access

Abstract

W–Si–N films were deposited by reactive sputtering in a Ar + N2 atmosphere from a W target encrusted with different number of Si pieces and followed by a thermal annealing at increasing temperatures up to 900 °C. Three iron-based substrates with different thermal expansion coefficients, in the range of 1.5 × 10−6 to 18 × 10−6 K−1 were used. The chemical composition, structure, residual stress, hardness (H), and Young’s modulus (E) were evaluated after all the annealing steps. The as-deposited film with low N and Si contents was crystalline whereas the one with higher contents was amorphous. After thermal annealing at 900 °C the amorphous film crystallized as body-centered cubic α–W. The crystalline as-deposited film presented the same phase even after annealing. There were no significant changes in the properties of both films up to 800 °C annealing. However, at 900 °C, a strong decrease and increase in the hardness were observed for the crystalline and amorphous films, respectively. It was possible to find a good correlation between the residual stress and the hardness of the films. In several cases, particularly for the amorphous coating, H/E higher than 0.1 was reached, which envisages good tribological behavior. The two methods (curvature and x-ray diffraction) used for calculation of the residual stress of the coatings showed fairly good agreement in the results.

Keywords

AnnealingHardnessThermal stress
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 20 , Issue 5 , May 2005 , pp. 1356 - 1368
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2005

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1.Fleming, J.G., Roherty-Osmun, E., Smith, P.M., Custer, J.S., Kim, Y-D., Kacsich, T., Nicolet, M-A. and Galewski, C.J.: Growth and properties of W–Si–N diffusion barriers deposited by chemical vapor deposition. Thin Solid Films 320, 10 (1998).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2.Reid, J.S., Kolawa, E., Ruiz, R.P. and Nicolet, M-A.: Evaluation of amorphous (Mo,Ta,W)–Si–N diffusion barriers for 〈Si〉/Cu metallizations. Thin Solid Films 236, 319 (1993).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3.Shaginyan, L.R., Misina, M., Zemek, J., Musil, J., Regent, F. and Britun, V.F.: Composition, structure, microhardness and residual stress of W–Ti–N films deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering. Thin Solid Films 408, 136 (2002).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4.Louro, C. and Cavaleiro, A.: Hardness versus structure in W–Si–N sputtered coatings. Surf. Coat. Technol. 116/119, 74 (1999).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5.Louro, C., Cavaleiro, A. and Montemor, F.: How is the chemical bonding of W–Si–N sputtered coatings? Surf. Coat. Technol. 142–144, 964 (2001).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
6.Tsui, T.Y., Oliver, W.C. and Pharr, G.M.: Influence of stress on the measurement of mechanical properties using nanoindentation: Part I. Experimental studies in an aluminium alloy. J. Mater. Res. 11, 752 (1996).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7.Bolshakov, A., Oliver, W.C. and Pharr, G.M.: Influence of stress on the measurement of mechanical properties using nanoindentation: Part II. Finite element simulations. J. Mater. Res. 11, 760 (1996).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8.Louro, C. and Cavaleiro, A.: Mechanical behaviour of amorphous W–Si–N sputtered films after thermal annealing at increasing temperatures. Surf. Coat. Technol. 123, 192 (2000).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9.Cavaleiro, A. and Marques, P.: Structural and mechanical properties of amorphous W–Si–N sputtered films after thermal annealing. Thin Solid Films 441, 150 (2003).Google Scholar
10.Stoney, G.G.: The tension of thin metallic films deposited by electrolysis. Proc. R. Soc. London Ser. A 82, 172 (1909).Google Scholar
11.Ramsey, P.M., Chandler, H.W. and Page, T.F.: The determination of residual stresses in thin coatings by a sample thinning method. Surf. Coat. Technol. 43–44, 223 (1990).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12.Antunes, J.M., Cavaleiro, A., Menezes, L.F., Simões, M.I. and Fernandes, J.V.: Hardness ultra-microhardness testing procedure with a Vickers indenter. Surf. Coat. Technol. 149, 27 (2002).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
13.Carvalho, N.J.M. and De Hosson, J.Th.M.: Characterization of mechanical properties of tungsten carbide/carbon multilayers: Cross-sectional electron microscopy and nanoindentation observations. J. Mater. Res. 16, 2213 (2001).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14.Louro, C., Cavaleiro, A., Dub, S., Smid, P., Musil, J. and Vlcek, J.: The depth profile analysis of W–Si–N coatings after thermal annealing. Surf. Coat. Technol. 161, 111 (2002).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
15.Goldschmidt, H.J.: Interstitial Alloys (Butterworth, London, U.K. 1967), p. 220.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
16.Scott, M.G.: Crystallization, in Amorphous Metallic Alloys, edited by Luborsky, F.E. (Butterworths, London, U.K., 1983), Chap. 10.Google Scholar
17.Fleming, J.G., Roherty-Osmun, E., Smith, P.M., Custer, J.S., Kim, Y-D., Kacsich, T., Nicolet, M-A. and Galewski, C.J.: Growth and properties of W–Si–N diffusion barriers deposited by chemical vapor deposition. Thin Solid Films 320, 10 (1998).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
18.Hirvonen, J.P., Suni, I., Kattelus, H., Lappalainen, R., Torri, P., Kung, H., Jervis, T.R., Nastasi, M. and Tesmer, J.R.: Crystallization and oxidation behavior of Mo–Si–N coatings. Surf. Coat. Technol. 74–75, 981 (1995).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
19.Schmidt, H., Gruber, W., Borchardt, G., Bruns, M., Rudolphi, M. and Baumann, H.: Thermal stability and crystallization kinetics of sputtered amorphous Si3N4 films. Thin Solid Films 450, 346 (2004).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
20.Niederhofer, A., Nesladek, P., Mannling, H.D., Moto, K., Veprek, S. and Jilek, M.: Structural properties, internal stress and thermal stability of nc-TiN/a-Si3N4, nc-TiN/TiSix and nc-(Ti1−yAlySix)N superhard nanocomposite coatings reaching the hardness of diamond. Surf. Coat. Technol. 120–121, 173 (1999).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
21.Properties and Selection of Metals, Metals Handbook, 8th ed. (ASM, Metals Park, OH, 1961, Vol. 1, pp. 502, 504, 511, and 817.Google Scholar
22.Townsend, P.H., Barnett, D.M. and Turner, T.A.: Elastic relationships in layered composite media with approximation for the case of thin films on a thick substrate. J. Appl. Phys. 62, 4438 (1987).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
23.Ramalho, A., Cavaleiro, A., Miranda, A.S. and Vieira, M.T.: Failure modes observed on worn surfaces of W–C–Co sputtered coatings. Surf. Coat. Technol. 62, 536 (1993).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
24.Thornton, J.A. and Hoffman, W.D.: Stress related effects in thin films. Thin Solid Films 171, 5 (1989).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
25.Moser, J.H., Tian, F., Haller, O., Bergstrom, D.B., Petrov, I., Greene, J.E. and Wiemer, C.: Single-phase polycrystalline Ti1−xWxN alloys (0 ⩽ x ⩽ 0.7) grown by UHV reactive magnetron sputtering: Microstructure and physical properties. Thin Solid Films 253, 445 (1994).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
26.Ashby, M.F.: Materials Selection in Mechanical Design (Butterworth-Heinemann, London, U.K., 1992).Google Scholar
27.Hughey, M.P. and Cook, R.F.: Massive stress changes in plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposited silicon nitride films on thermal cycling. Thin Solid Films 460, 7 (2004).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
28. Electronic Alloys U.K., http://www.aircraftmaterialsuk.com/data/electronic/al36.html.Google Scholar
29.Karlsson, L., Hörling, A., Johansson, M.P., Hultman, L. and Ramanath, G.: The influence of thermal annealing on residual stresses and mechanical properties of arc-evaporated TiCxN1−x (x = 0, 0.15, and 0.45) thin films. Acta Mater. 50, 5103 (2002).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
30. Powder Diffraction File, Card No. 4-0806 (2000) (International Center for Diffraction Data, Philadelphia, PA).Google Scholar
31.Fernandes, J.V., Trindade, A.C., Menezes, L.F. and Cavaleiro, A.: Influence of the substrate hardness on the W–C–Co coated samples to depth sensing indentation test. J. Mater. Res. 15, 1766 (2000).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
32.Musil, J., Kadlec, S., Vyskocil, J. and Valvoda, V.: New results in dc reactive magnetron deposition of TiN x films. Thin Solid Films 167, 107 (1988).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
33.Watanabe, H., Sato, Y., Nie, C., Ando, A., Ohtani, S. and Iwamoto, N.: The mechanical properties and microstructure of Ti-Si-N nanocomposite films by ion plating. Surf. Coat. Technol. 169–170, 452 (2003).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
34.Ma, D., Ma, S. and Xu, K.: Influence of Si content on nano-structured Ti-Si-N films coated by pulsed-dc plasma enhanced CVD. Surf. Coat. Technol. 184, 182 (2004).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
35.Jiang, N., Shen, Y.G., Mai, Y-W., Chan, T. and Tung, S.C.: Nanocomposite Ti–Si–N films deposited by reactive unbalanced magnetron sputtering at room temperature. Mater. Sci. Eng. B 106, 163 (2004).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
36.Musil, J., Kunc, F., Zeman, H. and Polakova, H.: Relationships between hardness, Young’s modulus and elastic recovery in hard nanocomposite coatings. Surf. Coat. Technol. 154, 304 (2002).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
37.Matthews, A. and Leyland, A.: Developments in vapour deposited ceramic coatings for tribological applications. Key Eng. Mater. 206–213, 459 (2002).Google Scholar