Effect of nitrogen-argon flow ratio on the microstructural and mechanical properties of AlSiN thin films prepared by high power impulse magnetron sputtering

The AiSiN thin films have been deposited by a high power impulse magnetron sputter (HiPIMS) technique using an Al80Si20 alloy target. Effect of nitrogen-argon flow ratios ranging from 5% to 50% on the characterizations of coatings was investigated systematically. Results indicated that the coating microstructure was transformed from the AlSi-rich crystalline metallization nitride to a nanocomposite consisting of c-AlN nano-grains embedded in an amorphous Si3N4 matrix, and then deconvoluted into close to an amorphous structure when the nitrogen-argon flow ratio increased. The mechanical properties of the AlSiN thin films were also strongly influenced by the N2/Ar flow ratios.642