Effect of thickness on structural, corrosion and mechanical properties of a thin ZrN film deposited by medium frequency (MF) reactive sputtering

Ayyalu Kavitha; Raman Kannan; Subramani Loganathan

doi:10.3139/120.110945

Article

Effect of thickness on structural, corrosion and mechanical properties of a thin ZrN film deposited by medium frequency (MF) reactive sputtering

Ayyalu Kavitha , Raman Kannan and Subramani Loganathan

Published/Copyright: December 15, 2016

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From the journal Materials Testing Volume 58 Issue 11-12

Abstract

Zirconium nitride (ZrN) thin films were prepared on stainless steel (SS) substrates by medium frequency (MF) reactive sputtering with gas ion source (GIS) by varying the deposition time and obtained thickness (t_ZrN) in the range of 1.25 to 3.24 μm. The effect of thickness on the structural and microstructural properties was studied using XRD and AFM. XRD characterization revealed that the texture of the ZrN thin films changes as a function of thickness. Both, the (111) and (200) peak, appear initially and (111) becomes more intense with increasing t_ZrN. AFM imaging revealed that the ZrN thin film coated with t_ZrN ≈ 3.24 μm shows larger grains that are uniformly distributed over the surface. An average hardness value of 19.79 GPa was observed for ZrN thin films having t_ZrN ≈ 3.24 μm. The ZrN thin films having t_ZrN ≈ 3.24 μm exhibits better adhesion strength up to 20 N. The electrochemical polarization studies indicated that the ZrN thin film having larger thickness shows improved corrosion resistance compared to SS in 3.5 % NaCl solution.

Kurzfassung

Für die diesem Beitrag zugrunde liegende Studie wurden dünne Filme aus Zirkonnitrid (ZrN) auf Substrate aus hochlegiertem Stahl mittels reaktiven Sputterns bei mittlerer Frequenz unter Verwendung einer Quelle mit ionisiertem Gas aufgebracht, wobei die Ablagerungszeit variiert wurde und verschiedene Dicken t_ZrN im Bereich von 1,25 bis 3,24 μm erreicht wurden. Es wurden die Auswirkungen der Variation der Dicke auf die strukturellen und mikrostrukturellen Eigenschaften mittels XRD und AFM untersucht. Die Charakterisierung mit XRD ergab, dass die Textur der ZrN-Filme sich als Funktion der Dicke t_ZrN verändert. Sowohl der (111) als auch der (200) Peak treten anfänglich auf und der (111) Peak wird mit zunehmendem t_ZrN intensiver. Die AFM-Bildgebung zeigte, dass der mit t_ZrN ≈ 3,24 μm aufgebrachte ZrN-Film größere Körner aufwies, die gleichmäßig über die Oberfläche verteilt waren. Für die ZrN-Filme mit t_ZrN ≈ 3,24 μm wurde ein durchschnittlicher Härtewert von 19.79 GPa festgestellt. Die dünnen ZrN-Filme mit t_ZrN ≈ 3,24 μm weisen eine bessere Adhäsionsfestigkeit von bis zu 20 N auf. Die elektrochemischen Polarisationsversuche deuten darauf hin, dass die dünnen ZrN-Filme mit einer größeren Dicke einen verbesserten Korrosionswiderstand gegenüber dem hochlegierten Stahl in einer 3,5 % NaCl-Lösung aufweisen.

*Correspondence Address, A. Kavitha, Department of Physics, University College of Engineering, Anna University, Dindigul 624622, India, E-mail: kavithasep.venkatesan@gmail.com

Ayyalu Kavitha, born in 1981, is a PhD student in the Department of Physics, University College of Engineering, Anna University Campus, Dindigul, India. She obtained her Master degree in Physics from Madurai Kamraj University, Tamilnadu, India in 2003. Her primary research area is materials science and thin film technology.

Dr. Raman Kannan is currently working as Assistant Professor at Department of Physics, University College of Engineering, Anna University Campus, Dindigul, India. He obtained his PhD degree from Alagappa University, Karaikudi, Tamilnadu, India and his Post Doctoral Fellowship from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering of Cornell University, Ithaca; NY; USA. He is specialized in materials science, polymers, Li batteries and fuel cells.

Dr. Subramani Loganathan, born in 1963, is currently working as Group Manager in the Ion Plating Department, Titan Industries, Hosur, Tamilnadu, India. He obtained his PhD degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, India. He is specialized in industrial tribology and thin film deposition.

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Published Online: 2016-12-15

Published in Print: 2016-11-16

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