Study of Multilayer Coatings of Ti/TiN/TiC Produced by Pulsed Arc Discharge

This work presents a study of multilayered Ti/TiN/TiC thin films obtained using a PAPVD (Plasma Assisted Physical Vapor Deposition) system by pulsed-arc discharge. For this purpose, a titanium target and a stainless steel substrate were used, placed on the cathode and on the anode, respectively, inside a vacuum chamber. To grow these films, different gases and concentrations were required. Ti is obtained with argon gas, TiN with nitrogen, and TiC with methane, at 2.5 mbar and 5 mm distance between electrodes. By means of X ray diffraction (XRD), the phases present in the film were determined, observing (111), (200), and (100) orientations for both, TiN and TiC. Also, by employing XRD techniques, Titanium Atoms Distance (DTA) was calculated at the interface of TiN and TiC, in order to study the crystallographic match. Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) was employed in order to carry out elemental analyses in the materials. These analyses were obtained for 12 keV and 30 keV, observing the effects in the results. Taking advantage of defects generated during the growth of the multilayer, chemical composition maps were carried out, probing the combination of Ti and N in one layer and Ti and C in the other layer. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) technique allowed observing the presence of the multilayer, as well as the measurement of the thicknesses of each layer, which are in the order of nanometers.