Structure and mechanical properties of Ti-Si-N nanocomposite coatings prepared by cathodic arc assisted magnetron sputtering process

Ti-Si-N nanocomposite coatings were prepared on Si and cemented carbide substrates by using an industrial scale cathodic arc assisted medium-frequency magnetron sputtering system.The microstructure and properties of the coatings are predominately controlled by the bias voltage on the substrate and sputtering current of the Si magnetron target.X-ray diffraction,transmission electron microscopy,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and nanoindentation were employed to investigate the microstructure and mechanical properties of the coatings.The coatings were found to be nc-TiN/a-Si3N4 structure with the TiN crystalline grain sizes ranging from of 8-10 nm,exhibited a high microhardness of 40 GPa and a friction coefficient of 0.89 at the bias voltage of-150 V and sputtering current 15 A of the Si cathode source.The mechanical properties shows that the Ti-Si-N nanocomposite coatings satisfy the requirement for industrial applications.