Abstract
Cr2N is commonly found as a minority phase or inclusion in stainless steel, CrN-based hard coatings, etc. However, studies on phase-pure material for characterization of fundamental properties are limited. Here, Cr2N thin films were deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering onto (0001) sapphire substrates. X-ray diffraction and pole figure texture analysis show Cr2N (0001) epitaxial growth. Scanning electron microscopy imaging shows a smooth surface, while transmission electron microscopy and X-ray reflectivity show a uniform and dense film with a density of 6.6 g cm−3, which is comparable to theoretical bulk values. Annealing the films in air at 400 °C for 96 h shows little signs of oxidation. Nano-indentation shows an elastic–plastic behavior with H = 18.9 GPa and Er = 265 GPa. The moderate thermal conductivity is 12 W m−1 K−1, and the electrical resistivity is 70 μΩ cm. This combination of properties means that Cr2N may be of interest in applications such as protective coatings, diffusion barriers, capping layers and contact materials.
Highlights
IntroductionHexagonal crystal structure and is usually reported as a secondary phase in either Chromium nitride (CrN) hard coatings or steel [9,10,11]
Chromium nitride (CrN) is a hard and corrosion resistant, semiconducting compound that has gained interest for various applications such as medical implants [1], silver luster decorative coatings [2], and wear-resistant coatings for cutting tools, especially when hot corrosion resistance is needed [3, 4]
In a previous paper [13] focused on monochromium nitride, we studied CrN thin films for its thermoelectric properties
Summary
Hexagonal crystal structure and is usually reported as a secondary phase in either CrN hard coatings or steel [9,10,11]. We report on synthesis and property characterization of single-phase, epitaxial Cr2N These films were deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering, did not show any phase impurities and are single crystal. A photodiode and a lock-in amplifier recorded the AC reflectivity component, in a frequency range between 1 kHz and 1 MHz. the experimental profiles of the amplitude and the phase of the reflected probe beam were fitted according to a standard Fourier diffusion law to extract the thermal conductivity of the films and include a measurement error of 15% [24,25,26,27,28,29,30]. The data were analyzed using the approach of Oliver and Pharr [31]
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