Abstract
This paper presents one of the first attempts to measure and model the ellipsometric data for ternary nitride coatings in general and TiBN coatings in particular. TiBN coatings with a functionally graded underlayer of Ti/TiN have been deposited at low temperatures ( <200 °C) on a silicon substrate using ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD). The coating selected for detailed analysis had a total thickness of 1.5±0.2 μm. The deposited structure was characterized post-deposition using X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Rutherford backscattering (RBS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry (IR-SE), and visible-light spectroscopic ellipsometry (VIS-SE). The primary phases (TiB2, TiN, and BN) in the film were identified using XRD. The surface morphology and nanocrystalline nature of the coating (grain size of 5-7 nm) were deduced using AFM. The chemical composition and phase composition of the sample was determined from RBS and XPS measurements and was subsequently deduced from the analysis of the VIS-SE data. The refractive indices for the constituent phases were deduced from the investigation of TiB2. TiN and BN single layers with SE. Good correlation was observed between RBS, XPS and VIS-SE for the data on the TiBN sample. XPS and IR-SE suggested that BN formed in the amorphous form. The chemical composition study using these various techniques shows that in-situ SE is a potential technique to control the growth of ternary nitride coatings. Finally, the mechanical properties of the coating were evaluated using a nanoindenter. The hardness and elastic modulus were measured to be 42 GPa and 325 GPa, respectively.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 145-151 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Surface and Coatings Technology |
Volume | 160 |
Issue number | 2-3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 22 2002 |
Keywords
- Ellipsometry
- Ion beam assisted deposition
- Nanocrystal
- Nitride
- Rutherford backscattering
- X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Chemistry(all)
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Surfaces and Interfaces
- Surfaces, Coatings and Films
- Materials Chemistry