STRUCTURE AND MECHANICAL-PROPERTIES OF HARD W-C COATINGS DEPOSITED BY REACTIVE MAGNETRON SPUTTERING

Carbon-containing tungsten coatings and thin films were prepared using reactive magnetron sputtering of a tungsten target in Ar-CH4 ambients. The composition and crystallographic structure of W-C layers were characterized by electron microprobe analyses, Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, nuclear reaction analyses and X-ray diffraction technique. The Vickers hardness, internal stresses and electrical resistivity were determined as functions of the carbon concentration in W-C coatings or films. Their relations to the structure and composition of the deposited material are discussed.