AVS 49th International Symposium
    Surface Engineering Tuesday Sessions
       Session SE+NS-TuM

Paper SE+NS-TuM9
Novel Properties and Potential Applications of CrBN Films Produced via Unbalanced Magnetron Sputtering

Tuesday, November 5, 2002, 11:00 am, Room C-111B

Session: Nanocomposite and Nanolayered Coatings
Presenter: D.M. Mihut, University of Nebraska
Authors: D.M. Mihut, University of Nebraska
T.Z. Gorishnyy, University of Nebraska
D.M. Schultze, University of Nebraska
S.M. Aouadi, Southern Illinois University
S.L. Rohde, University of Nebraska
Correspondent: Click to Email
CrBN nanocrystalline and amorphous materials produced using ion-assisted unbalanced magnetron sputtering were deposited on to a variety of substrates, to investigate the potential of these coating in several applications ranging from coatings on AFM tips to very smooth films for tribological coatings. Coatings were deposited over a range of temperatures from ambient (<200°C) to nearly 900°C, and their thermal stability investigated. Selected films were studied both in-situ and ex-situ using spectroscopic ellipsometry to determine their optical properties and provide correlation between the optical properties and chemical/structural changes in the films, providing a valuable resource for work in these new, but complex multi-phase materials. In addition, these films were characterized post-deposition using X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry (IR-SE), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nanoindentation, and microwear. XPS, AES, and IR-SE were used in tandem to reveal the crystal structure of the BN phase in these ternary compounds. The amorphous to nanocrystalline nature of the coatings were deduced using AFM and TEM. The mechanical properties (wear rate, hardness, elastic modulii) of the coatings were evaluated using a nanohardness/microwear analyses. Several interesting applications, are currently under investigation as CrBN films have been found to provide a unique combination of very low roughness (rms < 0.2 nm) and high surface hardness (> 22 GPa) under certain growth conditions.