Structure and Composition of TiVN Thin Films Deposited by Reactive DC Magnetron Co-sputtering

Ternary nitride hard coatings are known of excellent wear characteristics which have proved to be successfully transferable to industrial application. This paper presents the structures and compositions of TiVN thin films deposited by Reactive DC Magnetron Co-sputtering technique from a titanium target and a vanadium target alternatively in a mixed Ar/N2 atmosphere. By variation of the vanadium sputtering current, different samples have been obtained. The sputtering current effects on structures, surface morphologies and element compositions were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) employing Energy-Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDX). It was found that crystal structures, microstructures, surface morphologies and element compositions of TiVN thin films depended on the deposition parameters. All the samples are composed of TiVN crystal structure (111) (200) and (220) planes and the crystallinity of films changed as a function of vanadium sputtering currents. Roughness and average thickness of the films increased from 2.60 to 7.07 nm and 222.78 to 490.99 nm respectively. The EDX results indicated that the atomic ratio of V to Ti was increased from 0.13 to 1.58. (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd.