Deformation and fracture of Ti–Si–N nanocomposite films

• Published in: Thin solid films Vol. 479; no. 1; pp. 193 - 200
• Main Authors: Cairney, J.M., Hoffman, M.J., Munroe, P.R., Martin, P.J., Bendavid, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier B.V 23-05-2005; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Deformation and plasticity (including yield, ductility, and superplasticity); Exact sciences and technology; Fatigue, brittleness, fracture, and cracks; Focused ion beam (FIB); Mechanical and acoustical properties of condensed matter; Mechanical properties of solids; Nanostructures; Physics; Titanium nitride (TiN); Transmission electron microscopy (TEM); Titanium nitride (TiN); Nanostructures; Focused ion beam (FIB); Transmission electron microscopy (TEM); Grain size; Grain boundaries; Inorganic compounds; Ternary compounds; Transition element compounds; Crystallization; Plastic deformation; Amorphous state; Evaporation; Experimental study; Coatings; Columnar structure; Titanium nitrides; Magnetrons; Cathode sputtering; Fractures; Transmission electron microscopy; Nanocomposites; Silicon nitrides; Nanostructured materials
• ISSN: 0040-6090; 1879-2731
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tsf.2004.11.185

The deformation and fracture of Ti–Si
x
–N coatings of varying Si content were examined by cross-sectional transmission microscopy. Cross-sections were prepared through both undeformed coatings and coatings which had previously been indented using a 5 μm radius spherically tipped diamond indenter. Samples with low silicon contents (0.8 and 1.5 at.%Si) had a columnar grain structure which deformed by intergranular cracking and shear sliding at the grain boundaries. Samples with higher silicon contents (9.5 and 12.5 at.%Si) consisted of TiN nanocrystals ∼5 nm in size connected by an amorphous Si
3N
4 phase. These coatings contained a limited amount of intergranular cracking. The nanocrystalline coatings are thought to undergo quasi-plastic deformation behaviour via cracking on a nanometer scale, where the crack size is of the order of the grain size.