Mechanical and tribological properties of TiN and SiCN nanocomposite coatings deposited using methyltrichlorsilane

Abstract

The paper examines nanocomposite coatings based on TiN and SiCN obtained by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) using methyltrichlorosilane (MTCS) as one of the precursors. The nanocomposite coatings demonstrate four types of structures depending on deposition modes: nc-TiN, nc-TiN/a-SiCN, nc-TiNC/nc-TiSi₂/a-SiCN, and nc-TiNC/nc-TiCl₂/a-SiCN. The nanohardness and elastic modulus of the coatings reach 31 and 350 GPa, respectively. The coatings on substrates of hard alloys, high-speed steel, and sili- con increase the nanohardness of the base from 10 to 100%. The correlation between the H/E ratio and wear resistance is not observed. The coatings deposited at low radiofrequency powers demonstrate good adhesion to silicon substrates. It is shown that the use of MTCS as the main precursor allows one to obtain hard and wear-resistant nanocomposite coatings.