The plasma nitriding treatment of TiN/TiCN multilayer films

► TiN/TiCN multilayer films were conducted by plasma nitriding treatment. ► After plasma nitriding treatment, the film structure was changed significantly. ► The variation of the structure leaded to improve the film properties. ► The internal stresses and the hardness showed a declining trend slightly. ► The tribological behaviors of the films were improved by plasma-nitriding.