Comparison of the hardness of TiC/a-C coatings obtained by the method of the magnetron sputtering of a graphite target with high- and low-power pulses

Abstract

TiC/a-C coatings 0.1–2.0 μm thick are deposited onto substrates made of (WC + Ti) hard alloy or stainless steel by the method of the pulsed magnetron sputtering of Ti and graphite targets. The microhardness of coatings obtained by the sputtering of a graphite target by pulses of high (∼1 kW/cm2) and low power (∼25 W/cm2) is compared. The effect of the coating thickness on the measured value of the microhardness is investigated. It is shown that maximum values of coating hardness (35 ± 5 GPa) are attained at a Ti/C ratio of 0.6–0.9.