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Influence of deposition parameters on mechanical properties of sputter-deposited Cr2O3 thin films

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2011

P. Hones ,
F. Lévy  and
N. X. Randall
P. Hones
Affiliation:
EPFL-Institut de physique appliquée, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
F. Lévy
Affiliation:
EPFL-Institut de physique appliquée, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
N. X. Randall
Affiliation:
CSEM Instruments, Jaquet-Droz 1, CH-2007 Neuchâtel, Switzerland
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Abstract

Among the oxides, Cr2O3 exhibits the highest hardness value and a low coefficient of friction. These properties make chromium oxide an excellent coating material for tribological applications. Cr2O3 thin films were deposited by radio-frequency reactive magnetron sputtering at substrate temperature in the range 363–593 K. The hardness and elastic modulus of the films were measured by two complementary nanoindentation techniques to investigate the influences of the substrate temperature and the oxygen content in the sputtering gas. While the continuous stiffness data method provides information throughout the whole film thickness, nanoindentation combined with scanning force microscopy of the residual imprints allows visualization of pileup, cracking, and delamination from the substrate. Hardness values up to 32 GPa were obtained for substrate temperatures exceeding 500 K and oxygen contents between 15% and 25% of the total gas pressure. The films, obtained with these deposition conditions, showed good adhesion to silicon substrates.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 14 , Issue 9 , September 1999 , pp. 3623 - 3629
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1999

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