Effect of deposition and annealing temperature on mechanical properties of TaN film

► Hexagonal TaN were gotten by magnetron sputtering. With decreasing of deposition temperature, Ta phases are formed in TaN film. And Ta2O5 phases present with the increasing of annealing temperature after deposition. ► Films prepared at 573 K show the highest hardness (34-39 GPa), and the minimum value was 6 GPa while the deposition temperature decreased to 373 K, without annealing. ► The adhesion between films and substrates increases with deposition temperature. The post-annealing at 448 K offers the highest adhesion (40 GPa), and it reduces with the increase or decrease of annealing temperature.