Abstract
TiSiN coatings have been prepared by reactive DC magnetron co-sputtering on Corning glass and carbon steel substrates, using Ti-Si targets, with a constant Si:Ti area ratio of 0.2. The flow rate of nitrogen has been varied from 1.6 to 7.0 sccm, for a fixed argon flow rate of 25.0 sccm. We present a study of structure (texture, crystallite size and microstrain), chemical composition, and mechanical properties of the coatings and their dependence on the argon/nitrogen ratio. Moreover, a study of the thermal stability of the coatings has been performed by means of thermal annealing under oxidizing conditions (air atmosphere) at 500 and 600 °C. Coatings with the smallest crystallite size (∼2 nm) present the highest hardness (26 GPa) and the best thermal stability.
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