Microstructure and superhardness effect of VC/TiC superlattice films

Vanadium carbide/titanium carbide (VC/TiC) superlattice films were synthesized by magnetron sputtering method. The effects of modulation period on the microstructure evolution and mechanical properties were investigated by EDXA, XRD, HRTEM and nano-indentation. The results reveal that the VC/TiC superlattice films form an epitaxial structure when their modulation period is less than a critical value, accompanied with a remarkable increase in hardness. Further increasing the modulation period, the hardness of superlattices decreases slowly to the rule-of-mixture value due to the destruction of epitaxial structures. The XRD results reveal that three-directional strains are generated in superlattices when the epitaxial structure is formed, which may change the modulus of constituent layers. This may explain the remarkable hardness enhancement of VC/TiC superlattices.