Combinatorial Synthesis of AlTiN Thin Films
Nitrides of aluminum (Al) and titanium (Ti) mixtures have long been studied and used as commercial coatings because of their high hardness and high oxidation resistance due to the formation of an alumina layer on the coating surface. To fully understand the contribution of Al and Ti to the propertie...
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| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Plasma |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6182/6/2/17 |
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| author | Ferrine Gianne G. Reyes Jason P. Licerio Aian B. Ontoria Magdaleno R. Vasquez |
| author_facet | Ferrine Gianne G. Reyes Jason P. Licerio Aian B. Ontoria Magdaleno R. Vasquez |
| author_sort | Ferrine Gianne G. Reyes |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Nitrides of aluminum (Al) and titanium (Ti) mixtures have long been studied and used as commercial coatings because of their high hardness and high oxidation resistance due to the formation of an alumina layer on the coating surface. To fully understand the contribution of Al and Ti to the properties of the film, a combinatorial deposition approach was employed using half-disk targets. Film growth was carried out using a magnetron sputtering system powered by a 13.56 MHz radio frequency power supply with varying argon (Ar) and nitrogen (N<sub>2</sub>) gas ratios. Depending on the location of the substrate relative to the target, atomic percent gradients of 0.60–0.70 Al and 0.30–0.40 Ti across the substrate surface were obtained from energy dispersive X-ray spectral analysis. X-ray diffraction peaks at 43.59°, 74.71° (face-centered cubic), and 50.60° (wurtzite) confirmed the presence of aluminum titanium nitride (AlTiN) mixtures, with an increasing amount of wurtzite phase at higher Al concentrations. For all samples, cauliflower-like nanograins were obtained and samples of the 80:20 Ar:N<sub>2</sub> gas pressure ratio showed the smallest grain size among the three gas ratio combinations. The 80:20 Ar:N<sub>2</sub> films revealed a relatively high hardness compared to the other gas ratios. All thin films exhibited good adhesion to 304 stainless steel substrates. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T02:00:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-203af54d2a8f4f15ace166ac3fe65b7f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2571-6182 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T02:00:42Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
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| record_format | Article |
| series | Plasma |
| spelling | doaj.art-203af54d2a8f4f15ace166ac3fe65b7f2023-11-18T12:11:29ZengMDPI AGPlasma2571-61822023-04-016222523410.3390/plasma6020017Combinatorial Synthesis of AlTiN Thin FilmsFerrine Gianne G. Reyes0Jason P. Licerio1Aian B. Ontoria2Magdaleno R. Vasquez3Department of Mining, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, College of Engineering, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City 1101, PhilippinesDepartment of Mining, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, College of Engineering, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City 1101, PhilippinesDepartment of Mining, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, College of Engineering, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City 1101, PhilippinesDepartment of Mining, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, College of Engineering, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City 1101, PhilippinesNitrides of aluminum (Al) and titanium (Ti) mixtures have long been studied and used as commercial coatings because of their high hardness and high oxidation resistance due to the formation of an alumina layer on the coating surface. To fully understand the contribution of Al and Ti to the properties of the film, a combinatorial deposition approach was employed using half-disk targets. Film growth was carried out using a magnetron sputtering system powered by a 13.56 MHz radio frequency power supply with varying argon (Ar) and nitrogen (N<sub>2</sub>) gas ratios. Depending on the location of the substrate relative to the target, atomic percent gradients of 0.60–0.70 Al and 0.30–0.40 Ti across the substrate surface were obtained from energy dispersive X-ray spectral analysis. X-ray diffraction peaks at 43.59°, 74.71° (face-centered cubic), and 50.60° (wurtzite) confirmed the presence of aluminum titanium nitride (AlTiN) mixtures, with an increasing amount of wurtzite phase at higher Al concentrations. For all samples, cauliflower-like nanograins were obtained and samples of the 80:20 Ar:N<sub>2</sub> gas pressure ratio showed the smallest grain size among the three gas ratio combinations. The 80:20 Ar:N<sub>2</sub> films revealed a relatively high hardness compared to the other gas ratios. All thin films exhibited good adhesion to 304 stainless steel substrates.https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6182/6/2/17thin filmsAlTiNcombinatorial sputtering |
| spellingShingle | Ferrine Gianne G. Reyes Jason P. Licerio Aian B. Ontoria Magdaleno R. Vasquez Combinatorial Synthesis of AlTiN Thin Films Plasma thin films AlTiN combinatorial sputtering |
| title | Combinatorial Synthesis of AlTiN Thin Films |
| title_full | Combinatorial Synthesis of AlTiN Thin Films |
| title_fullStr | Combinatorial Synthesis of AlTiN Thin Films |
| title_full_unstemmed | Combinatorial Synthesis of AlTiN Thin Films |
| title_short | Combinatorial Synthesis of AlTiN Thin Films |
| title_sort | combinatorial synthesis of altin thin films |
| topic | thin films AlTiN combinatorial sputtering |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6182/6/2/17 |
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