The Study of Deposition Parameters, Properties for PVD Ti_xN and Cr_xN Coatings Using a Closed Field Unbalanced Magnetron Sputter Ion Plating System

DIFFERENT PVD TECHNIQUES have been used todevelop a wide range of hard wear resistant coatings onsteel substrates since the early1980's.These coatingshave proved successful in improving the performanceof cutting tools1].Closed field unbalancedmagnetron sputter ion plating(CFUBMSIP)is anexceptionally versatile technique,developed by TeerCoatings Ltd,for the deposition of high-quality;well-adhered thin films2].Compared to other ordinarymagnetron sputter techniques,the CFUBMSIPt…

The Study of Deposition Parameters, Properties for PVD Ti_xN and Cr_xN Coatings Using a Closed Field Unbalanced Magnetron Sputter Ion Plating System

Closed Field Unbalanced Magnetron Sputter Ion Plating (CFUBMSIP) systems have been used increasingly for PVD coating in recent years. TiN and CrN coatings, commonly used as the basic coating for a number of different hard coatings, have been chosen to study the coating process parameters for the CFUBMSIP system. In this paper, the process parameters, such as substrate temperature, substrate bias and OEM control, have been carefully examined to achieve hard and wear-resistance coatings with good adhesion. The coating structure and orientation were found to change according to the coating parameters. The Rockwell test and Scratch test were carried out to examine the coating adhesion; pin-on-disc testing was used to estimate the wear-resistant; micro-hardness was also used to determine coating hardness. HSS drill testing has been carried out to study the general properties of the coating for cutting tool application. A combination of process parameters can be selected to achieve good performance for the TiN and CrN coatings.