6533b85cfe1ef96bd12bc797

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Reactive sputtering of nanostructured multilayer coatings and their tribological properties

subject

description

Abstract The present study describes and reports on reactive sputtering of nanostructured multilayer coatings. A 3 μm coating for instance may contain up to a few thousand bilayers of two different film materials, and in order to achieve this, a substrate holder rotates through two different sputtering zones in an Alcatel SC 650 sputtering equipment with metal and carbon cathodes operating concurrently in the so-called side-by-side configuration. In reactive sputtering of nitrides, reactive nitrogen was controlled very accurately in order to establish controllable points on a total sputtering pressure versus nitrogen flow curve. Nanostructured multilayer coatings of the type MeN/C–N were deposited, where Me could be either Ti or Nb. The present study will focus on deposition and tribological properties of NbN/C–N multilayers. It is known that the friction coefficient of Si 3 N 4 in dry sliding against NbN is high, and it is primarily the scope of the present study to investigate friction and wear properties of NbN containing multilayers. Vickers' microhardness was measured, and the multilayer concept will be discussed in the context of depositing hard, low-friction wear-resistant coatings.