Thin films of titanium aluminum nitride (Ti(1-x)AlxN) were deposited on silicon, copper, and plasma nitrided AISI D2 tool steel substrates through reactive direct current grid-assisted magnetron sputtering. The depositions were performed in the metal and compound modes using nitrogen flow rates of (7.2 ± 0.1) sccm and (6.8 ± 0.2) sccm, respectively. The relations between the process parameters and the crystallographic orientation were investigated. Chemical and mechanical properties were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and instrumented indentation technique (IIT). X-ray diffraction spectra and electron diffraction patterns revealed the presence of a Ti(1-x)AlxN phase with a face-centered cubic structure in both films. In metal mode, the coatings exhibited a preferential (111) plane orientation, changing to (200) in the compound mode. The change in preferential orientation was influenced by the reactive gas partial pressure.

ABSTRACT In this work, titanium nitride (TiN) and titanium aluminum nitride (TiAIN) films have been obtained via triode magnetron sputtering. The films were deposited using a direct current source on plasma nitrided AISI D2 tool steel (duplex treatment), non-nitrided steel, and silicon. The nitrided layer was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Vickers microhardness, and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The films were characterized by SEM and XRD. The mechanical properties of the coatings were determined using the instrumented indentation technique (IIT) and the adhesion of the film to the substrate was qualitatively evaluated using the Rockwell C test. Both films presented no significant variation in hardness (H) and elastic modulus (E). However, compared to the films obtained in non-nitrided steel, the duplex treatment improvided the film-substrate adhesion. The improvement in adhesion can be attributed to the preliminary plasma nitriding treatment and the compressive loads acting on the nitrided surface.