Structure and Mechanical Properties of TiAlSiY Vacuum-Arc Coatings Deposited in Nitrogen Atmosphere

Abstract

The effect of a negative bias potential applied to the substrate on elemental composition, structure, and mechanical properties of vacuum-arc TiAlSiY nitride coatings is investigated by different methods. It is ascertained that applying a high (up to–500 V) bias voltage leads to a selective sputtering of target as well as significant microdeformation of the coating, small-sized growth of crystallites, and their preferred orientation along the [110] direction. In this case, the coating deposited has a low hardness H = 6.95 GPa and propensity to intense wear under scratch and tribological tests. Crystallites with stoichiometric composition ~140 nm in size and [111] preferred orientation perpendicular to the surface of growth are formed at the bias potential about–200 V, and superhard (H = 49.5 GPa) and wear-resistant coatings are grown under such conditions. The mechanisms of formation of the structure of multielement coatings are discussed. It is shown that formation of an amorphous phase and nanocrystal [110] texture takes place at a high bias potential owing to the process of radiation-stimulated selective spraying of the target. Formation of microstrained crystallites 10 nm in size caused by the weakening of interatomic bonds is observed in the coating under such deposition conditions, and it leads to the decrease in coating hardness and fast destruction during tribological testing. Substantial bias voltage dependence of deposited coating properties is established in our investigations.