Advanced Processing Technologies of Coatings/Films of Transition Metal Nitrides: Plasma Deposition

A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Plasma Coatings, Surfaces & Interfaces".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2024) | Viewed by 4478

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
CNRS, UMR 7315, IRCER, CEC, Université de Limoges, Limoges, France
Interests: electron cyclotron resonance; ion sources; emittance; titanium silicide; electrical resistivity; amorphization; tantalum nitrides; diffusion barriers; magnetron sputtering

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Guest Editor
CNRS, UMR 7315, IRCER, CEC, Université de Limoges, Limoges, France
Interests: plasma diagnostics; plasma chemistry

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The interesting properties of transition metal nitrides (TMNs) make them very suitable for numerous applications, such as supercapacitor electrode materials for energy storage, diffusion barriers in microelectronics, and hard wear-resistant coatings. This wide range of applications is due to the unusual simultaneous contribution of covalent, ionic and metallic bonding to the cohesive energy. The melting point of TiN is higher than that of ceramics such as AlN, Al2O3 or Si3N4, and TMNs exhibit an electronic conductivity higher than that of ceramics, while the Hall coefficient and magnetic susceptibility are close to the values for metals. Strong deviations from stoichiometry owing to nitrogen and/or metal vacancies can affect the physical properties.

Glow discharge plasma, such as radio frequency discharge and microwave plasma, is extensively used in coatings and thin film process technology. The surface and material properties depend on the composition of plasma, which consists of ions, electrons, neutrals, radicals, and photons, which react with solid surfaces. A variety of phenomena occur at the surface exposed to the plasma, i.e., surface diffusion, adsorption, absorption, reaction, sputtering, implantation and so on. So, the understanding of the plasma–surface interactions on one hand, and the reactive processes which occur in the bulk of the plasma on the other, is very important to obtain unique material properties and devices.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Coatings, films, and nanotube structures made from TMN or composites including TMN and processed using various types of plasma.
  • Processes which occur in nitriding plasma and on the surface of materials exposed to nitriding plasma.
  • Theoretical and experimental research on nano- and microstructures (vacancies, interstitials, etc.) and the properties of coatings.
  • Relations between physical properties and nano-micro structures of TMN.
  • Models and simulations to predict the properties and performance of coatings in various environments.

We look forward to receiving your contributions!

Dr. Isabelle Jauberteau
Dr. Jean Louis Jauberteau
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • coatings
  • transition metal nitrides
  • plasma chemistry
  • plasma–surface interactions
  • physical and chemical properties

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 6279 KiB  
Article
Large Transfer of Nitrogen, Silicon and Titanium through Various Thin Mo–Ti/Si and Ti–Mo/Si Bilayer Films Processed in Expanding Microwave Plasma: Formation of Nitrides and Silicides
by Isabelle Jauberteau, Richard Mayet, Julie Cornette, Pierre Carles, Denis Mangin, Annie Bessaudou, Jean Louis Jauberteau and Armand Passelergue
Coatings 2023, 13(10), 1787; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings13101787 - 18 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1657
Abstract
Silicides and nitrides of transition metals are expected to play a great role in various applications. They can be both considered as metals and ceramics. Their low resistivity and high melting point make them especially promising for super capacitors technology. Thin bilayer films [...] Read more.
Silicides and nitrides of transition metals are expected to play a great role in various applications. They can be both considered as metals and ceramics. Their low resistivity and high melting point make them especially promising for super capacitors technology. Thin bilayer films of Mo and Ti are evaporated on Si substrates with various thicknesses and location with respect to the Si substrate. They are exposed to expanding plasma using (Ar-31%N2-6%H2) gas mixtures, which promotes the chemical reactions on the surface of the bilayer films. Because of the intensive diffusion of elements such as Si and Ti, which compete with the diffusion of nitrogen into the surface layers, various thin films of nitrides and silicides form, depending on the location of Mo and Ti films relative to Si substrates. Results are analyzed in light of thermodynamic and kinetic considerations and especially the strong reactivity of Ti towards oxygen and silicium compared with Mo. The large diffusion of Si through Mo–Ti/Si bilayer films prevents the formation of nitrides, whereas a film of Mo, only 50 nm thick, prevents the formation of silicides in Ti–Mo/Si bilayer films, which promotes the formation of TiN from TiO2 and nitrogen due to the reducing and nitriding effect of plasma. Full article
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20 pages, 8169 KiB  
Article
Evolutions of the Microstructure and Properties of the (CrMoNbTaZr)NX Films Prepared by Reactive Magnetron Sputtering: Effects of Stoichiometry and Crystallinity
by Xiang Wang, Yanhong Zhang, Xin Zhang, Zhihe Lin, Dongguang Liu, Chunfu Hong and Pinqiang Dai
Coatings 2023, 13(8), 1424; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings13081424 - 14 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1258
Abstract
(CrMoNbTaZr)NX coatings were deposited on Si (100) by magnetron sputtering under various N2/(Ar+N2) flow ratios. An X-ray diffractometer, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy were used to characterize the crystallinity and microstructure of the [...] Read more.
(CrMoNbTaZr)NX coatings were deposited on Si (100) by magnetron sputtering under various N2/(Ar+N2) flow ratios. An X-ray diffractometer, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy were used to characterize the crystallinity and microstructure of the films. The elemental composition was characterized by energy dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The hardness and friction coefficient were respectively determined by nanoindentation and nanoscratch. The sheet resistance was studied using a four-point probe. The results suggest that the crystallinity is strongly influenced by the nitrogen content in the films. The chemical stoichiometry of nitride determines the evolutions of the microstructure, mechanical properties and resistivity. Correlations between the microstructure and the properties of the (CrMoNbTaZr)NX films were studied. Full article
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17 pages, 6953 KiB  
Article
Effect of Nb–Zr–N Alloying Layer on Surface Mechanical Properties and Biocompatibility of Medical 316L Matrix
by Ruian Ni, Hongyan Wu, Zhehang Fan, Yihan Wei, Linshan Yu and Fan Jiang
Coatings 2023, 13(8), 1346; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings13081346 - 31 Jul 2023
Viewed by 1146
Abstract
The aim of this study is to further improve the mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, and biocompatibility of the material. We propose a novel method via double-glow plasma alloying–nitriding processing to obtain a Nb–Zr–N alloying layer on medical 316L (316LVM). The surface phase composition [...] Read more.
The aim of this study is to further improve the mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, and biocompatibility of the material. We propose a novel method via double-glow plasma alloying–nitriding processing to obtain a Nb–Zr–N alloying layer on medical 316L (316LVM). The surface phase composition and microstructure were observed via X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope, respectively. The three-dimensional confocal map of the samples was measured via laser profilometer, the static water contact angle was measured via optical contact angle measuring instrument, and the surface reflectivity was measured via spectrophotometer. Results revealed that the obvious Nb2N and Zr3N4 phase and uniform nanoscale cytosolic organization are obtained at the argon–nitrogen ratio of 1:1 and of gradient distribution of nitride composition forms in the alloying layer. The addition of nitrogen element significantly improved the hardness, friction, and wear properties of the samples. The nano-scale structure of Nb–Zr–N layer plays a better protective role for the substrate with high corrosion resistance, and the corrosion resistance rate is approximately one order of magnitude higher than that of the matrix. In addition, the nontoxic Nb–Zr–N alloying layer exhibits excellent biocompatibility for improving the adsorption, proliferation, and differentiation of cells. Therefore, our work provides a feasible method by which to modify the surface of the Nb–Zr alloying layer via ion nitriding and shows the prospect of its application in medical and biological fields. Full article
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