A comparative study of Si–C–N films on different substrates grown by RF magnetron sputtering

Si–C–N nanocomposite thin films were deposited on industrially important substrates like silicon (1 0 0), borosilicate glass, and stainless steel (304SS) by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. The microstructural characterization was carried out by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showing localized β-C3N4 in amorphous Si–C–N matrix, which was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy. The thermal mismatch occurring between the substrate and the coating resulted in variation in deposition rate, roughness and other mechanical properties like hardness and adhesion for the three different substrates. Both microindentation and nanoindentation were performed to estimate the hardness of the coatings. Scratch tests were used for the adhesion studies.