TOF-SIMS depth profiling and element mapping on oxidized AlCrVN hard coatings

• Published in: Analytical & bioanalytical chemistry (Print) Vol. 393; no. 8; pp. 1857 - 1861
• Main Authors: Schnöller, J, Franz, R, Mitterer, C, Hutter, H
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Berlin/Heidelberg : Springer-Verlag 01.04.2009; Springer-Verlag; Springer
• Subjects: AlCrVN; Analytical Chemistry; Bias; Biochemistry; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Coating; Deposition; Depth profiling; Element mapping; Exact sciences and technology; Face centered cubic lattice; Food Science; General, instrumentation; Hard coatings; Hard surfacing; Laboratory Medicine; Mapping; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Original Paper; Spectrometric and optical methods; TOF-SIMS; Vanadium; Vanadium oxides; Vanadium oxides; Hard coatings; Element mapping; TOF-SIMS; Depth profiling; AlCrVN; Cluster analysis; Bias; Alloys; Vanadium; Instrumentation; Secondary ion mass spectrometry; Aluminium; Vaporization; Thickness; Time of flight method; Vanadium oxide; Chemical composition; Oxidation; Silicon; Hard coating
• ISSN: 1618-2642; 1618-2650
• DOI: 10.1007/s00216-008-2525-7

V-alloyed AlCrN hard coatings were deposited on silicon wafers (Si (100)) by reactive arc evaporation in a commercial coating system at 500 °C for 10 min, resulting in a coating thickness of ~500 nm. The chemical composition of the stoichiometric coatings is constant at approximately Al₀.₇₀Cr₀.₀₅V₀.₂₅N regardless of the applied bias voltage during deposition. Coatings synthesized at a low bias of -40 V show a dual-phase structure (hexagonal close-packed and face-centered cubic (fcc)), whereas coatings deposited at a high bias of -150 V have a metastable single-phase structure (face-centered cubic). All samples were oxidized for 15 min under 20 mbar O₂ atmosphere and at four different temperatures (550, 600, 650, and 700 °C). The oxidized coatings were subject to depth profiling and element mapping by a time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry instrument, equipped with a Bi-cluster analysis gun and Cs⁺-sputter gun. The evaluation of the in-depth distribution of several elements and species points out distinctive differences in the oxidation behavior of the two different coatings, whereas element mapping shows the formation of islands made of oxidized vanadium and aluminum species as the top-most layer of the single-phase (fcc) coating at temperatures above 650 °C.