Effects of Compressive Stress on Corrosion-Protective Quality and Its Maintenance under a Corrosive Environment for TiN Films Deposited by Reactive HCD Ion Plating

Abstract

Titanium nitride films were deposited onto SUS304 substrates under various film thickness, deposition temperatures, and substrate bias voltages. Their protective quality was evaluated by electrochemical testing in accordance with the critical passivation current density (CPCD) method. Two types of tests were employed to evaluate corrosive behavior of coated substrates: a high-temperature and high-pressure corrosion test; and a measurement of the change in anodic current density with immersion time. A scanning electron microscope was used to examine surface morphology and fractured cross-sections of the films. Residual stress in the films was determined by the sin2 ψ method. An increase in film thickness engendered high protective quality. That protective quality was improved with increasing deposition temperature; micrometer-order pores were observed on all parts of films deposited at lower deposition temperatures, whereas few pores existed on films deposited at higher temperatures. This result indicates that these pores are one factor influencing overall protective quality. A film deposited with no substrate bias voltage displayed morphology with a typical columnar-structure; it also demonstrated complete protective quality. As the bias voltage increased, protective quality deteriorated, whereas an excess increase in the bias voltage gave rise to a slightly higher protective quality. Films with lower compressive stress had only a few pores and possessed higher protective quality, suggesting that pore formation originates in compressive stress. Corrosion tests indicated that the coated substrates corroded more rapidly as compressive stress in the film increased. The effect of compressive stress on maintenance of corrosion-protective quality was treated quantitatively. The rate of increase in the exposed area of the substrate was estimated from variation of an anodic current density with immersion time. This evaluation indicates that a decrease in compressive stress contributes greatly to maintenance of protective quality.