Toughening through multilayering in TiN–AlTiN films

The damage response of columnar multilayers of TiN and AlTiN to Vickers indentation is studied through focused ion beam machining and elastic modelling. Multilayers display an enhanced resistance, which increases with layer refinement, to the multiple fracture modes that appear at high loads in these materials, including edge (nested)cracks and inclined shear cracks. Measurements of layer thickness reveal that multilayers display additional modes of plastic deformation that lead to permanent compression and bending of the film. An elastic model of contact deformation in a bilayer where plasticity is mimicked by greatly enhanced elastic compliance of the film is used to rationalize the trends in crack resistance. It is shown that the enhanced toughness is not due to any increase in the strain capacity (hardness/modulus) of the film material, brought about by multilayering