Macrodroplet reduction and growth mechanisms in cathodic arc physical vapor deposition of TiN films

• Main Authors: Ali, M., Hamzah, E., Abbas, T., Mohd Toff, M.R.H., Qazi, I.A.
• Format: Article
• Published: World Scientific Publishing Co 2008
• Subjects: TJ Mechanical engineering and machinery
• Online Access: http://eprints.utm.my/id/eprint/7021/; http://doi.dx.org/10.1142/S0218625X08011810
• Institution: Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

Cathodic arc physical vapor deposition (CAPVD) a technique used for the deposition of hard coatings for tooling applications has many advantages. The main drawback of this technique is the formation of macrodroplets (MDs) during deposition resulting in films with rougher morphology. The MDs contamination and growth mechanisms was investigated in TiN coatings over high-speed steel, as a function of metal ion etching, substrate bias, and nitrogen gas flow rate; it was observed that the latter is the most important factor in controlling the size and number of the macrodroplets. © 2008 World Scientific Publishing Company.