ELABORATION OF MAGNETRON DEPOSITION CONDITIONS OF TIN/SI3N4 NANOCOMPOSITE COATINGS

The TiN/Si3N4 coatings were deposited by reactive single target magnetron sputtering. The TiSi10 and TiSi6 targets were prepared from titanium and silicon elemental powders. The transmission electron microscopy helped to confirm the nanocomposite nanocrystalline TiN / amorphous Si3N4 microstructure of coatings. The experiments helped to determine the critical coatings thickness at close to 1 µm. The micro-hardness of such coatings deposited on high speed steel was estimated at 11.9÷13 GPa and characterized by critical loading in the range of 13÷14 N. The measurements of chemical compositions of coatings showed that the ratio of silicon to titanium was at least twice as high as those in the targets, what might have lowered the coatings mechanical properties