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Phase configuration, nanostructure, and mechanical behaviors in Ti-B-C-N thin films

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Abstract

A series of Ti-B-C-N thin films were deposited on Si (100) at 500 °C by incorporation of different amounts of N into Ti-B-C using reactive unbalanced dc magnetron sputtering in an Ar-N2 gas mixture. The effect of N content on phase configuration, nanostructure evolution, and mechanical behaviors was studied by x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and microindentation. It was found that the pure Ti-B-C was two-phased quasi-amorphous thin films comprising TiCx and TiB2. Incorporation of a small amount of N not only dissolved into TiCx but also promoted growth of TiCx nano-grains. As a result, nanocomposite thin films of nanocrystalline (nc-) TiCx(Ny) (x + y < 1) embedded into amorphous (a-) TiB2 were observed until nitrogen fully filled all carbon vacancy lattice (at that time x + y = 1). Additional increase of N content promoted formation of a-BN at the cost of TiB2, which produced nanocomposite thin films of nc-Ti(Cx,N1-x) embedded into a-(TiB2, BN). Formation of BN also decreased nanocrystalline size. Both microhardness and elastic modulus values were increased with an increase of N content and got their maximums at nanocomposite thin films consisting of nc-Ti(Cx,N1-x) and a-TiB2. Both values were decreased after formation of BN. Residual compressive stress value was successively decreased with an increase of N content. Enhancement of hardness was attributed to formation of nanocomposite structure and solid solution hardening.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Center for Materials Service Safety, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, People’s Republic of China

    Yonghao Lu & Dongbai Sun

  2. Science School, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing, 100044, People’s Republic of China

    Junping Wang

  3. Department of Manufacturing Engineering & Engineering Management, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong

    Yaogen Shen

Authors
  1. Yonghao Lu
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  2. Junping Wang
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  3. Yaogen Shen
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  4. Dongbai Sun
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Correspondence to Yonghao Lu.

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Lu, Y., Wang, J., Shen, Y. et al. Phase configuration, nanostructure, and mechanical behaviors in Ti-B-C-N thin films. Journal of Materials Research 24, 2520–2527 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2009.0310

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2009.0310

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