Effect of codeposition parameters on the hardness and adhesion of TiVN coatings

A systematic study of the effect of PVD cathodic arc deposition parameters on TiVN coating performance was carried out to analyze the structure, surface morphology, chemical composition, hardness and adhesion of these coatings. The effects of four factors including operation pressure, substrate bias voltage, and the currents applied to the Ti target and to the V target were evaluated. The investigated coatings were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, adhesion tests (i.e., scratch tests) and Vickers microhardness tests. The results of this study showed that the current applied to the V target was the factor having the greatest effect on TiVN coating hardness, while the bias voltage applied to the substrate had the greatest effect on adhesion strength. The obtained TiVN coatings were shown to have good hardness values near 15 GPa and high adhesion critical loads near 113 N.