Effects of Ti Interlayer on Mechanical Properties of TiN Film
Hirotaka TANABE, Yoshio MIYOSHI, Tohru TAKAMATSU and Hitoshi AWANO
Abstract:A study on the effects of Ti interlayer on the characteristics of TiN films deposited by D.C. magnetron sputtering was carried out. Two type films, TiN/Ti bilayer film with Ti interlayer between S45C substrate and TiN film, and TiN monolayer film in which TiN film was deposited directly on the substrate, were prepared, and the micro-structure and the properties of these TiN films were compared. It was observed that the surface of TiN film became so smooth by depositing Ti interlayer. The adhesive strength of TiN/Ti bilayer film was larger than that of TiN monolayer film. It was confirmed Ti interlayer had the effect to improve the adhesive strength of TiN film. The residual stress of TiN/Ti bilayer film, which was thought to be introduced by bombardments of high-energy ions toward TiN film in coating process, was almost same as that of TiN monolayer film. Corresponding to it, hardness and toughness of TiN/Ti bilayer film were almost same as those of TiN monolayer film. Compared at relatively high bias voltage, the specific wear rate of TiN/Ti bilayer film was lower than that of TiN monolayer film. It was concluded that adhesive strength and specific wear rate were improved by using Ti interlayer without decreasing the other properties such as hardness and toughness. Key Words:Sputtering, TiN film, Interlayer, Residual stress, Hardness, Adhesive strength, Toughness, Wear