Synthesis of TiAlN on stainless steel substrate using a magnetized sheet plasma source
Abstract
A magnetized sheet plasma (13x20 cm2 with a few millimeter thickness) source was used for the deposition (no substrate heating and biasing) of titanium aluminum nitride (TiAlN) on stainless steel substrates. Titanium and aluminum plates placed above SmCo magnets (2.2 kG) were sputtered by argon plasma produced at plasma current of 4 A and a discharge potential of 70 V under a total gas filling pressure of 9x10-3 Torr. Reactive nitrogen gas is then fed to the system in N2/Ar ratios of 1:2, 1:3, 1:5, 1:8, and 1:10 all at 4x10-2 Torr gas filling pressure.