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Microstructural and Chemical Characterization of Nanostructured TiAlSiN Coatings with Nanoscale Resolution

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 May 2012

Vanda Godinho ,
Teresa C. Rojas ,
Susana Trasobares ,
Francisco J. Ferrer ,
Marie-Paule Delplancke-Ogletree  and
Asuncion Fernández
Vanda Godinho*
Affiliation:
Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Sevilla CSIC-Uni. Sevilla, Avenida Américo Vespucio 49, 41092 Sevilla, Spain Université Libre de Bruxelles, Chemicals and Materials Department, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Avenue F.D. Roosevelt, 50 (CP165/163), 1050 Bruxelles, Belgium
Teresa C. Rojas
Affiliation:
Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Sevilla CSIC-Uni. Sevilla, Avenida Américo Vespucio 49, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
Susana Trasobares
Affiliation:
Departamento de Ciencia de los Materiales e Ingeniería Metalúrgica y Química Inorgánica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Cádiz, Puerto Real, 11510-Cádiz, Spain
Francisco J. Ferrer
Affiliation:
Centro Nacional de Aceleradores, Parque Tecnológico Cartuja 93, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
Marie-Paule Delplancke-Ogletree
Affiliation:
Université Libre de Bruxelles, Chemicals and Materials Department, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Avenue F.D. Roosevelt, 50 (CP165/163), 1050 Bruxelles, Belgium
Asuncion Fernández
Affiliation:
Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Sevilla CSIC-Uni. Sevilla, Avenida Américo Vespucio 49, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
*
Corresponding author. E-mail: godinho@icmse.csic.es
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Abstract

Nanoscale resolution electron microscopy analysis combined with ion beam assisted techniques are presented here, to give answers to full characterization of morphology, growth mode, phase formation, and compositional distribution in nanocomposite TiAlSiN coatings deposited under different energetic conditions. Samples were prepared by magnetron sputtering, and the effects of substrate temperature and bias were investigated. The nanocomposite microstructure was demonstrated by the formation of a face-centered cubic (Ti,Al)N phase, obtained by substitution of Al in the cubic titanium nitride (c-TiN) phase, and an amorphous matrix at the column boundary regions mainly composed of Si, N (and O for the samples with higher oxygen contents). Oxygen impurities, predicted as the principal responsible for the degradation of properties, were identified, particularly in nonbiased samples and confirmed to occupy preferentially nitrogen positions at the column boundaries, being mainly associated to silicon forming oxynitride phases. It has been found that the columnar growth mode is not the most adequate to improve mechanical properties. Only the combination of moderate bias and additional substrate heating was able to reduce the oxygen content and eliminate the columnar microstructure leading to the nanocomposite structure with higher hardness (>30 GPa).

Keywords

scanning transmission electron microscopyenergy loss spectroscopyhigh-angle annular dark fieldTiASiN thin films
Type
Materials Applications
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 18 , Issue 3 , June 2012 , pp. 568 - 581
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America 2012

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