Investigation of Some Hard Coatings Synthesized by Ion Beam Assisted Deposition

Ion beam assisted deposition(IBAD) technique was used to synthesize hard coatings including diamond-like carbon(DLC), carbon nitride(CN) and metal-ceramic multilayered films. It was found that DLC films formed at low energy ion bombardment possess more $Sp^3$ bonds and much higher hardness. The films exhibited an excellent wear resistance. Nanometer multialyered Fe/TiC films was deposited by ion beam sputtering. The structure and properties were strongly dependent on the thickness of the individual layers and modulation wave length. It was disclosed that both hardness and toughness of the films could be enhanced by adjusting the deposition parameters. The CN films synthesized by IBAD method consisted of tiny crystallites dispersed in amorphous matrix, which were identified by electron diffraction pattern to be $\beta -C_3N_4$.