Structural evolution of Ti/TiC multilayers

Abstract

Hard coatings based on metal/ceramic multilayers with periods in the nanometer range have been shown to possess some potential for improved tribological and mechanical properties. The present work is concerned with the structural evolution of (Ti/TiC) multilayers. Two kinds of multilayers consisting of 30 equithick (40 nm)TiC layers and 20 and 60 nm thick Ti layers, respectively, were sputter deposited on Mo substrates. The structural and the compositional evolution of these multilayers were examined by x-ray diffraction, transition electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM, Auger electron microscopy spectroscopy and differential thermal analysis (DTA), in the as-deposited state and after various heat treatments up to 500 °C. Initially, the Ti layers had a crystalline columnar grain structure displaying a (002) texture. The TiC layers displayed weak crystallinity with a pronounced (111) texture. In the course of the heat treatments, carbon diffused from the carbide layer into the adjacent Ti layers transforming the latter into off-stoichiometric ${\mathrm{TiC}}_x$ with $\text{x≈0.5}$ and simultaneously depleting the carbon content of the initial carbide layer. The formed ${\mathrm{TiC}}_x$ layers maintained the textural relationship with the neighboring TiC layers, consistent with a transformation that involved only a ABAB to ABC stacking change of the Ti sublattice. Increased mobility of the Ti atoms in carbon-depleted original TiC layers led to their full or partial recrystallization. The thermal effects associated both with the transformation of Ti layers into TiC, due to the influx of carbon atoms, and with the recrystallization of the original TiC layers were clearly revealed by the DTA measurements.