Deposition of hard metal nitride-like coatings in an electron cyclotron resonance discharge

• Published in: Surface & coatings technology Vol. 177; pp. 389 - 393
• Main Authors: Xiao, Z.G., Mantei, T.D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 30-01-2004
• Subjects: Chromium nitride-like films; Electron cyclotron resonance; Hardness; Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition; Titanium nitride-like films; Zirconium nitride-like films; 52.75.Rx; Titanium nitride-like films; Chromium nitride-like films; Zirconium nitride-like films; Electron cyclotron resonance; 81.15.Gh; Hardness; Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition
• ISSN: 0257-8972; 1879-3347
• DOI: 10.1016/j.surfcoat.2003.09.013

Hard titanium, zirconium and chromium nitride-like coatings were grown in a high-density microwave electron cyclotron resonance discharge. The organometallic deposition precursors were titanium (IV) isopropoxide and tetrakis(dimethylamino)titanium, zirconium 2-methyl-2-butoxide and zirconium
t-butoxide, and bis(ethylbenzene)chromium, with ammonia as the reactive gas. The deposited metal nitride-like coatings have nano-indentation hardness values of 20–28 GPa for TiN-like coatings, 17–21 GPa for ZrN-like coatings and 25–31 GPa for CrN-like coatings. Growth rates were 10–20 nm/min. X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopic analyses showed the compositions of titanium-, zirconium- and chromium-containing coatings to be TiC
x
O
y
N
z
, ZrC
x
O
y
N
z
and CrC
x
O
y
N
z
with significant carbon and oxygen atomic concentrations. The titanium nitride-like and zirconium nitride-like coatings had characteristic gold coloring and lasted more than 1000 h in an ASTM B117 salt-fog corrosion test without color change or visible corrosion.