Stabilisation of tetragonal zirconia in oxidised ZrSiN nanocomposite coatings

Abstract ZrSiN coatings were deposited on steel and silicon substrates by reactive sputtering of a composite ZrSi target. The coatings were oxidised in air in the 600–750 °C temperature range. As-deposited and oxidised films were characterised by X-ray diffraction, micro-Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy and glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy. The oxidation behaviour of ZrSiN coatings was compared to that of ZrN ones. It was demonstrated that addition of silicon in the 3–5 at.% range into ZrN-based coatings promotes the onset of oxidation by nearly 100 °C. The structure of the oxide layer was strongly dependent on the film’s silicon content: monoclinic zirc…