Age hardening in arc-evaporated ZrAlN thin films

• Zr0.44Al0.56N1.20 films were deposited by reactive arc evaporation on WC-Co substrates. As-deposited films have a defect-rich NaCl-cubic and wurtzite phase mixture. During annealing at 1100 degrees C the films undergo simultaneous recovery of the ZrN-rich c-ZrAlN nanoscale domains and formation of semicoherent w-ZrAlN nanobricks, while the excess nitrogen is released. This process results in an age hardening effect as high as 36%, as determined by nanoindentation. At 1200 degrees C, the w-AlN recrystallizes and the hardening effect is lost.

Nyckelord

PVD

Nanoindentation

TEM

Hardness

Thin films

TECHNOLOGY

TEKNIKVETENSKAP

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