Analysis of the effect of sputter power on the morphological and mechanical characteristics of titanium thin films deposited on high-speed steel (HSS)

Abstract

High speed steel or HSS is a material class of tool steels which could withstand high temperatures without losing their hardness, and are highly resistant to abrasions which allows them to cut other materials faster compared to other carbon & tool steels. As a result, these materials are extensively used in the manufacturing of various cutting tools utilized in mechanical laboratories and industries. Herein, we deposited titanium thin-film on a high-speed steel (HSS) substrate using radio frequency (R.F) magnetron sputtering. We varied the RF power while other parameters were kept constant. The microstructure analyses of these HSS coated with Ti-films illustrated variations in the particle size and morphology with varying power. The influence of RF power was also observed on the surface hardness of the Ti-coated HSS. The hardness of the samples showed an improvement with increasing applied R.F power. Thus, an interplay of RF sputter power on the microstructure and mechanical hardness was systematically observed and analyzed.