The Influence of Nitrogen Content on the Mechanical Properties of TiNx Thin Films Prepared by Reactive Magnetron Sputtering

Abstract

The main purpose of this work is to present and explain the changes in structure and mechanical properties of TiNx thin films, produced by DC reactive magnetron sputtering, by varying the nitrogen flow rate between 4.5 and 10.5 cm. The structural characterization results reveal a typical fcc TiN structure with (111) and (222) diffraction peaks. The strongest intensity in the (111) orientation was obtained for samples prepared with low nitrogen flows. For this kind of sample, high values of hardness. The gradual increase of nitrogen flow brings a decrease in the intensity of TiN (111) peaks due to the significant loss of crystallinity. This loss of crystallinity has influenced negatively the mechanical properties of films.