Oxidation behavior of TaSiN coatings

TaSiN coatings with a Si content of 19-21 at.% were fabricated through reactive direct current magnetron cosputtering; the sputter power was set at 100 W for each target, and the coatings were X-ray amorphous in the as-deposited state. The N contents of the TaSiN coatings increased from 31 to 47 at.% as the N2/(N2 + Ar) flow ratio was increased from 0.1 to 0.4; additionally, nanoindentation hardness decreased from 20 to 14 GPa, and the Young's modulus decreased from 220 to 196 GPa. The oxidation resistance of the TaSiN coatings was evaluated through annealing at 600 °C and 800 °C in ambient air, which revealed notable oxidation resistance related to the TaN coatings. The oxidation behavior of the X-ray amorphous TaSiN coatings was examined through transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.