Structural and mechanical properties of titanium nitride films modulated by assisting ions

Metal nitride superhard coating is an important way to protect metallic materials from wear and corrosion. In this work, series of TiN_x films were prepared by dual ion beam deposition, in which ion-sputtered particles were bombarded by low energy assisting ions on substrates. The crystal structure and mechanical properties of the films deposited by assisting ion energy E_a and current density J_a were studied. The films exhibit fcc-(111) optimal alignment. Assisting ion bombardment can further enhance the crystallinity of the films. Assisting ions can also promote the performances of the hardness, elastic modulus, critical load and wear resistance of the films to a significant extend. The results show that assisting ion beam is a promising technique to fabricate and modulate the properties of superhard nitride coatings.