Significant texture and wear resistance improvement of TiN coatings using pulsed DC magnetron sputtering

Abstract

Titanium nitride (TiN) coatings fabricated through reactive sputtering feature a suite of parameters capable of altering the microstructure and properties. Here, we explore the influence of bipolar pulsed direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering on microstructure evolution of TiN coating, in comparison to conventional DC sputtering. The implementation of a pulsed DC voltage profile promotes a drastic texture change from randomly oriented polycrystals to (111) textured TiN coatings across the full range of pulse frequencies on various Si substrates, including amorphous SiO2. Additionally, higher pulse frequencies promote significant grain size reduction, accompanied with corresponding increases in hardness and wear resistance. The potential mechanism for this microstructural and texture evolution is also explored.