SIMS investigation of nitride coatings

The Ti-Cr-N coatings were formed by condensation from a plasma phase in a vacuum with ion bombardment of sample surfaces while combining Ti and Cr plasma flows of variable density in a residual nitrogen atmosphere. The elemental and phase composition and also microstructure were studied by secondary-ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). SIMS and AES investigations show that the system of gradient by composition was formed. It is found that the gradient coating consists of basic layer of variable composition, in which concentration of Ti and Cr elements increase or decrease with the coating thickness and Cr-rich interlayer. XRD and TEM measurements show that a continuous series of solid solution TixCr1−xN (0.60