Target Poisoning Effects on the Mechanical and Electrical Properties of TiN Coatings Grown by a Superimposed HiPIMS and MF Deposition System
(Room Room 104-A)
01 May 19
12:00 PM
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12:20 PM
Tracks:
High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering – HIPIMS
The high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) technique has been studied intensively due to its extremely high peak power density to grow thin films with dense microstructure and excellent mechanical properties. However, the lower deposition rate of HiPIMS technique restricts its application in industries. In this study, a superimposed HiPIMS and middle frequency (MF) deposition system was used to grow TiN coatings under different target poisoning status, which was controlled by a plasma emission monitoring system. The pure TiN phase was obtained for each coating grown under different target poisoning ratios. The cross-sectional image of each TiN coating exhibited a dense columnar microstructure. The grain size increased with increasing target poisoning ratio. The thickness and deposition rate of TiN film increased with decreasing target poisoning ratio due to the Ti target surface changed from heavily poisoned state to lightly poisoned nature. The hardness and elastic modulus of TiN film increased with decreasing target poisoning ratio. For the TiN film grown under a target poisoning ratio of 40%, the maximum hardness of 34 GPa, good adhesion quality of HF2 and the lowest electrical resistivity of 30 μΩ-cm were obtained in this work.