K S Rajam
Articles written in Bulletin of Materials Science
Volume 26 Issue 2 February 2003 pp 233-237 Thin Films
Deposition of TiN/CrN hard superlattices by reactive d.c. magnetron sputtering
Multilayer superlattice coatings of TiN/CrN were deposited on silicon substrates using a reactive d.c. magnetron sputtering process. Superlattice period, also known as modulation wavelength (𝛬), was controlled by controlling the dwell time of the substrate underneath Ti and Cr targets. X-ray diffraction (XRD), nanoindentation and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to characterize the films. The XRD data showed 1st and 2nd order satellite reflections along the principal reflection for films having 132 Å $\geq \Lambda \geq$ 84 Å, thus confirming the formation of superlattice. The multilayer coatings exhibited hardness (𝐻) as high as 3200 kg/mm2, which is 2 times the rule-of-mixtures value (i.e. $H_{TiN}$ = 2200 kg/mm2 and $H_{CrN}$ = 1000 kg/mm2). Detailed investigations on the effects of various process parameters indicated that hardness of the superlattice coatings was affected not only by modulation wavelength but also by nitrogen partial pressure and ion bombardment during deposition.
Volume 27 Issue 1 February 2004 pp 35-41 Thin Films
Nanoindentation and atomic force microscopy measurements on reactively sputtered TiN coatings
Titanium nitride (TiN) coatings were deposited by d.c. reactive magnetron sputtering process. The films were deposited on silicon (111) substrates at various process conditions, e.g. substrate bias voltage (𝑉B) and nitrogen partial pressure. Mechanical properties of the coatings were investigated by a nanoindentation technique. Force vs displacement curves generated during loading and unloading of a Berkovich diamond indenter were used to determine the hardness (𝐻) and Young’s modulus (𝑌) of the films. Detailed investigations on the role of substrate bias and nitrogen partial pressure on the mechanical properties of the coatings are presented in this paper. Considerable improvement in the hardness was observed when negative bias voltage was increased from 100–250 V. Films deposited at |𝑉B| = 250 V exhibited hardness as high as 3300 kg/mm2. This increase in hardness has been attributed to ion bombardment during the deposition. The ion bombardment considerably affects the microstructure of the coatings. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) of the coatings revealed fine-grained morphology for the films prepared at higher substrate bias voltage. The hardness of the coatings was found to increase with a decrease in nitrogen partial pressure.
Volume 30 Issue 6 December 2007 pp 607-614 Alloys and Steels
The stainless steels, in general, are considered to be difficult-to-machine materials. In order to machine these materials the surface of the tool is generally coated with physical vapour deposition (PVD) hard coatings such as titanium nitride (TiN), titanium aluminum nitride (TiAlN), etc. The adhesion is of vital importance for the performance of tools coated with PVD coatings. Proper surface treatments (
Volume 34 Issue 3 June 2011 pp 423-427
Effect of process parameters on growth rate and diameter of nano-porous alumina templates
P Chowdhury K Raghuvaran M Krishnan Harish C Barshilia K S Rajam
Anodic aluminium oxide (AAO) template with hexagonal shaped nano-pores with high aspect ratio was fabricated by two-step anodization processes from high purity aluminium foil. It was observed that pore dimensions were affected by anodizing voltage, electrolyte temperature and the duration of anodization time. The vertical growth rate of the pores (10–250 nm/min) was found to vary exponentially with anodizing voltage; however, it exhibits linear increment with the electrolyte temperature. The measured pore diameter (50–130 nm) shows a linear variation with anodizing voltage. The bottom barrier oxide layer was etched out by pore widening treatment to obtain through holes.
Volume 45, 2022
All articles
Continuous Article Publishing mode
Prof. Subi Jacob George — Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Jakkur, Bengaluru
Chemical Sciences 2020
Prof. Surajit Dhara — School of Physics, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad
Physical Sciences 2020
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