The different colors of titanium nitride coatings
Abstract
Titanium nitride (TiN) thin films were synthesized using the magnetized sheet plasma negative ion source (MSPNIS). A pair of Sm-Co magnets was placed parallel to the titanium target underneath the extraction chamber to enhance sputtering. Results show that at different sputtering and nitriding times, the colors of the titanium nitride coatings vary as well as their elemental content. It has been shown that maroon colored TiN coatings (25 GPa) are the hardest among other colored TiN coatings such as the commonly used gold TiN coatings (23.27 GPa).