Abstract
In this study, five AlTiCrN nitride coatings were deposited via high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS). The AlTiCrN coatings were synthesized with high contents of Al or Ti and a lower fraction of Cr, using Ti and Al70Cr30 targets with five different input power ratios. Electron probe microanalyzer results revealed that the increased rate of Ti contents in the coatings can be divided into two regions due to the difference of power densities for HiPIMS (>0.5 kW/cm2) and modulated pulsed power (MPP) (<0.5 kW/cm2). The deposition rate and thickness of the coatings depended on the sputtering yield of two metal targets under HiPIMS and MPP modes. The grain size of the coatings decreased from 60 to 40 nm as the input power ratios of the AlCr/Ti targets decreased due to their lower thickness values and lower Al content. Selected area electron diffraction patterns and X-ray diffraction results revealed that the TiN and AlTiN phases can be found in the coating containing higher Ti content, whereas the AlN, CrN, and AlCrN phases were observed in the coating with a higher Al concentration. Nevertheless, decreasing the concentration of Ti had a detrimental effect on the mechanical properties of AlTiCrN coatings, due to a promotion in grain size and the formation of AlN, which is softer than TiN. It is noticed that our results differed from those in previous reports, in which a grain refinement effect was observed due to increasing Al content. In this work, the effect of processing the parameters of the HiPIMS and MPP power systems on the grain size and the mechanical property of the coating was also discussed.
Highlights
High-quality cutting tools, such as micro drills, are crucial to the manufacturing of printed circuit boards (PCBs)
We investigated the influence of input power ratio of the AlCr/Ti target on the microstructure, composition, hardness, and adhesive strength of AlTiCrN coatings prepared via high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) and using targets of Ti and Al70Cr30
As the input power is over 1.25 kW, the peak power density is higher than 0.5 kW/cm2, implying the requirement of HiPIMS discharge is achieved
Summary
High-quality cutting tools, such as micro drills, are crucial to the manufacturing of printed circuit boards (PCBs). Binary nitride coatings of CrN and TiN have been widely used to improve the service life of cutting tools, due to their high strength and resistance to wear and corrosion [1,2,3]. Researchers have sought to enhance the oxidation resistance of binary nitride coatings by introducing higher quantities of Al (up to 50 at.%), resulting in a thin film of Al2O3 formed on the surface. The higher hardness values of CrN [16,17] and TiN [17] coatings grown by HiPIMS were achieved, as compared with those deposited by traditional DCMS methods. Tam et al [18] analyzed the effects of Ti and Al contents on the structure, mechanical properties, and tribological performance of CrTiAlN coatings. The effect of single- or two-metal content in quaternary compound coating was reported. The formation mechanisms, microstructure, and mechanical properties of the coatings are discussed
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