Influence of Layer Thickness on Structural and Mechanical Properties of TiN/ZrON Multilayer Films

The TiN/ZrON periodic structure films with different layer thicknesses are prepared by reactive magnetron sputtering technique. The effects of layer thickness variation on the crystal structures and mechanical properties of TiN/ZrON coatings are investigated. All the prepared samples possess a face-centered cubic (FCC) structure. The specimen has a TiN (111) orientation structure when the TiN layer thickness is 2.8 nm. When the TiN layer thickness is 5.2 nm, the multilayer films have the obvious (111), (200) and (220) diffraction peaks. It is concluded that the crystal structure of the specimen is not affected by the substrate type when a metal layer is pre-deposited on the substrate. Furthermore, when the thickness of the ZrON layer is thin, the crystallization of the next TiN layer can be effectively promoted. The maximum hardness and elasticity modulus of the Ti/TiN(5.2 nm)/ZrON(0.6 nm)₁₀₀ specimen are 15.3 and 202.4 GPa, respectively, and the friction coefficient is 0.17, demonstrating good abrasive resistance.