TI-B-N COATINGS DEPOSITED BY MAGNETRON ARC EVAPORATION

Ti-B-N films were deposited by reactive ion plating using magnetron arc evaporation and their fundamental coating properties were characterized. Titanium and boron were evaporated and ionized by the ionization electrode above the electron beam evaporator. Nitrogen and argon were mainly activated in a hot-cathode plasma-discharge within a parallel magnetic field near the substrates. The structure and crystallinity of the Ti-B-N coatings were strongly influenced by the activation process and the chemical composition of the coatings. Deposition using both ionization of titanium in the arc plasma and activation of nitrogen in the hot-cathode plasma was very effective for obtaining crystalline cubic Ti-B-N. With increasing addition of boron to TiN, the X-ray amorphous phase became dominant. The Ti-B-N films showed a lower friction coefficient and were more resistant against corrosion than TiN.