A comparative study on Ti1 − xAlxN coatings reactively sputtered from compound and from mosaic targets

►Effect of different target types on sputter deposition of Ti1 − XAlXN coatings. ►Deposition time reduced to 2/3 for compound compared to mosaic targets. ►Coatings grown from compound targets: reduced friction and higher wear resistance. ►Differences explained by the individual sputter behavior of the targets.