Residual stresses in titanium nitride thin films deposited by direct current and pulsed direct current unbalanced magnetron sputtering

This work presents a study on the effect of deposition parameters on the residual stresses developed in titanium nitride (TiN) thin films deposited onto cemented carbide (WC-Co) substrates. Depositions were conducted by reactive unbalanced magnetron sputtering of a single titanium target. Six different conditions were selected, varying parameters such as bias (0, − 50 or − 100 V), power applied to the target (direct current or pulsed direct current) and, in the cases where substrate bias was zero, substrate condition (ground or floating). Pulsed power was applied at a frequency of 50 kHz and with a reverse pulse time of 1 μs. Residual stresses were evaluated through X-ray diffraction, using the sin2ψ method. Results confirmed the effect of substrate bias on the residual stresses of thin films. Additionally, it was possible to observe that by pulsing the power to the target, residual stress varies as a consequence of the increased ion energy.