Surface properties and microstructure of implanted TiN films using MEVVA ion source

The PVD–TiN film was implanted with titanium and nitrogen ions and the improvement in surface wear resistance was investigated. Ti ion implantation was done using a metal vapor vacuum arc (MEVVA) ion source with an implantation dose of 2 × 1016 ions/cm2 and at an extraction voltage of 48 kV. The wear characteristics of the implanted samples were measured and compared with the performance of the unimplanted one by a pin-on-disc apparatus and an optical interference microscope. The structures of the samples were observed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A dynamic TRIM called as TRIDYN was used to calculate the concentration depth profiles of implanted ions in TiN to investigate wear resistance mechanisms. The results showed that the improved wear resistance of the TiN film was mainly due to forming of nano-order TiN crystal grains in a thick amorphous layer and the decreased local state number of Ti after Ti ion implantation.