Structural and mechanical properties of magnetron sputtered Ti–V–Cr–Al–N films

Ti–V–Cr–Al–N films were prepared by dc magnetron co-sputtering by utilizing TiVCr and Al targets. By using glancing incidence X-ray diffraction, a single NaCl solid solution phase with (2 0 0) preferred orientation for the Al-doped films was revealed, as opposed to the undoped films that possessed predominantly (1 1 1) preferred orientation. This indicates that Al addition can lead to the enhancement of adatom mobility and consequently, to a thermodynamically favorable (2 0 0) orientation. This also leads to grain growth and increased surface roughness. However, based on results from transmission electron microscopy, the microstructure morphology seemed independent of the Al concentration, implying that adatom mobility is not sufficient for the barriers present at the grain boundaries. Accordingly, hardness was enhanced by the increase in Al concentration.