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Surface Topography Effects on Functional Properties of PVD Coatings

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A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Surface Characterization, Deposition and Modification".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 September 2021) | Viewed by 61954

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Dr. Peter Panjan

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Department of Thin Films and Surfaces, Jozef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Interests: conventional and nanostructured PVD hard protective coatings: deposition, characterization and industrial applications; wear, oxidation and corrosion resistant coatings; low friction coatings; tribological properties of thin films and surfaces; surface topografy of PVD hard coatings
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Dr. Aljaž Drnovšek

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Department of Thin Films and Surfaces, Jozef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Interests: hard protective coatings: deposition and characterization of conventional and nanostructured coatings; HT and RT tribological properties of thin films and surfaces; HT mechanical properties of hard coatings; FIB and SEM microscopy; litography; characterization of nanomaterials and thin films
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The topography of PVD coatings plays an important role in their use in tribology, optics, microelectronics, and protection against corrosion, oxidation, and erosion. It also affects the wettability of the coatings and their permeability for gases. The topography of biocompatible coating is also very important for integration of the coated implant into living tissue. The topography of a coating depends to a large extent on: (a) The roughness of the substrate, (b) the growth process, and (c) the size, shape, and density of growth defects (e.g., nodular defects, flakes, pinholes). We invite all researchers engaged in the research of surface topography effects on functional properties of PVD coatings to publish their most recent results in this Special Issue of Coatings.

The main topics of this Special Issue are:

The influence of substrate pretreatment (polishing, blasting, ion etching) on coating topography;
Dependence of the growth defect density on the PVD deposition technique, deposition parameters, and type of coating;
The influence of growth defects on the functional properties of optical coatings;
The effect of surface topography of PVD hard coatings on their mechanical and tribological properties (wear, friction, galling);
The influence of growth defects on the corrosion and oxidation resistance of PVD coatings;
The influence of growth defects in PVD coatings on their barrier properties (for food packaging and flexible electronics applications);
Enhanced corrosion and oxidation resistance and reduction of gas permeability of PVD coatings by atomic layer deposition of sealing layer;
The role of growth defects in semiconductor devices;
The influence of surface topography on the integration of biocompatible coatings (e.g., on the artificial joints) into living tissues;
New methods and strategies for reduction of growth defect density;
Substrate and coating defect planarization techniques..

All types of original research and review articles on the above topics (or similar topics) are welcome.

Dr. Peter Panjan
Dr. Aljaž Drnovšek
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Coatings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

PVD coatings
Growth defects
Topography

Published Papers (12 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 173 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Special Issue: Surface Topography Effects on the Functional Properties of PVD Coatings

by Peter Panjan and Aljaž Drnovšek

Coatings 2022, 12(12), 1796; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings12121796 - 22 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 819

Abstract

The tribological contact between the moving components of each mechanical system degrades their performance and reliability due to friction and wear [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Topography Effects on Functional Properties of PVD Coatings)

Research

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17 pages, 6690 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Microstructure and Surface Topography Study of Nanolayered TiAlN/CrN Hard Coating

by Peter Panjan, Peter Gselman, Matjaž Panjan, Tonica Bončina, Aljaž Drnovšek, Mihaela Albu, Miha Čekada and Franc Zupanič

Coatings 2022, 12(11), 1725; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings12111725 - 11 Nov 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1644

Abstract

The microstructure and surface topography of PVD hard coatings are among the most important properties, as they significantly determine their mechanical, tribological and other properties. In this study, we systematically analyzed the microstructure and topography of a TiAlN/CrN nanolayer coating (NL-TiAlN/CrN), not only because such coatings possess better mechanical and tribological properties than TiAlN and CrN monolayer coatings, mainly because the contours of the individual layers, in the cross-sectional STEM or SEM images of such coatings, make it easier to follow topographic and microstructural changes that occurred during its growth. We investigated the effects of the substrate rotation modes on the microstructure and surface topography of the NL-TiAlN/CrN coating, as well as on the periodicity of the nanolayer structure. The influence of the substrate material and the ion etching methods were also studied, while special attention was given to the interlayer roughness and influence of non-metallic inclusions in the steel substrates on the growth of the coating. The topographical features of the NL-TiAlN/CrN coating surface are correlated with the observations from the cross-sectional TEM and FIB analysis. Selected non-metallic inclusions, covered by the NL-TiAlN/CrN coating, were prepared for SEM and STEM analyses by the focused ion beam. The same inclusions were analyzed prior to and after deposition. We found that substrate rotation modes substantially influence the microstructure, surface topography and periodicity of the NL-TiAlN/CrN layer. Non-metallic inclusions in the substrates cause the formation of shallow craters or protrusions, depending on their net removal rates during the substrate pretreatment (polishing and ion etching), as compared to the matrix. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Topography Effects on Functional Properties of PVD Coatings)

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16 pages, 67340 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Contamination of Substrate-Coating Interface Caused by Ion Etching

by Peter Panjan, Aljaž Drnovšek, Miha Čekada and Matjaž Panjan

Coatings 2022, 12(6), 846; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings12060846 - 16 Jun 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2338

Abstract

In–situ cleaning of the substrate surface by ion etching is an integral part of all physical vapor deposition (PVD) processes. However, in industrial deposition systems, some side effects occur during the ion etching process that can cause re-contamination. For example, in a magnetron sputtering system with several sputter sources and with a substrate holder located centered between them, the ion etching causes the contamination of the unshielded target surfaces with the batching material. In the initial stage of deposition, this material is redeposited back on the substrate surface. The identification of the contamination layer at the substrate–coating interface is difficult because it contains both substrate and coating elements. To avoid this problem, we prepared a TiAlN double coating in two separate production batches on the same substrate. In such a double-layer TiAlN hard coating, the contamination layer, formed during the ion etching before the second deposition, is readily identifiable, and analysis of its chemical composition is easy. Contamination of the batching material was observed also on seed particles that caused the formation of nodular defects. We explain the origin of these particles and the mechanism of their transfer from the target surface to the substrate surface. By comparison of the same coating surface area after deposition of the first and second TiAlN layers, the changes in coating topography were analyzed. We also found that after the deposition of the second TiAlN coating, the surface roughness slightly decreased, which we explain by the planarization effect. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Topography Effects on Functional Properties of PVD Coatings)

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23 pages, 12096 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Comparative Study of Tribological Behavior of TiN Hard Coatings Deposited by Various PVD Deposition Techniques

by Peter Panjan, Aljaž Drnovšek, Pal Terek, Aleksandar Miletić, Miha Čekada and Matjaž Panjan

Coatings 2022, 12(3), 294; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings12030294 - 22 Feb 2022

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 2482

Abstract

In this paper, we present a comparative study of tribological properties of TiN coatings deposited by low-voltage electron beam evaporation, magnetron sputtering and cathodic arc deposition. The correlation of tribological behavior of these coatings with their intrinsic properties and friction condition was studied. The influence of surface topography and the surrounding atmosphere was analyzed in more detail. We limited ourselves to the investigation of tribological processes that take place in the initial phase of the sliding test (the first 1000 cycles). A significant difference in the initial phase of the sliding test of three types of TiN coatings was observed. We found that nodular defects on the coating surface have an important role in this stage of the sliding test. The tribological response of TiN coatings, prepared by cathodic arc deposition, is also affected by the metal droplets on the coating surface, as well as those incorporated in the coating itself. Namely, the soft metal droplets increase the adhesion component of friction. The wear rates increased with the surface roughness of TiN coatings, the most for coatings prepared by cathodic arc deposition. The influences of post-polishing of the coating and the surrounding atmosphere were also investigated. The sliding tests on different types of TiN coatings were conducted in ambient air, oxygen and nitrogen. While oxygen promotes tribo-chemical reactions at the contact surface of the coating, nitrogen suppresses them. We found that the wear rate measured in ambient air, compared with that in an oxygen atmosphere, was lower. The difference is probably due to the influence of humidity in the ambient air. On the other hand, wear rates measured in a nitrogen atmosphere were much lower in comparison with those measured in an oxygen or ambient air atmosphere. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Topography Effects on Functional Properties of PVD Coatings)

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31 pages, 13812 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Surface Topography of PVD Hard Coatings

by Peter Panjan, Aljaž Drnovšek, Nastja Mahne, Miha Čekada and Matjaž Panjan

Coatings 2021, 11(11), 1387; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings11111387 - 13 Nov 2021

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 6115 | Correction

Abstract

The primary objective of this study was to investigate and compare the surface topography of hard coatings deposited by three different physical vapor deposition methods (PVD): low-voltage electron beam evaporation, unbalanced magnetron sputtering and cathodic arc evaporation. In these deposition systems, various ion etching techniques were applied for substrate cleaning. The paper summarizes our experience and the expertise gained during many years of development of PVD hard coatings for the protection of tools and machine components. Surface topography was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and 3D stylus profilometry. Observed similarities and differences among samples deposited by various deposition methods are discussed and correlated with substrate material selection, substrate pretreatment and deposition conditions. Large variations in the surface topography were observed between selected deposition techniques, both after ion etching and deposition processes. The main features and implications of surface cleaning by ion etching are discussed and the physical phenomena involved in this process are reviewed. During a given deposition run as well as from one run to another, a large spatial variation of etching rates was observed due to the difference in substrate geometry and batching configurations. Variations related to the specific substrate rotation (i.e., temporal variations in the etching and deposition) were also observed. The etching efficiency can be explained by the influence of different process parameters, such as substrate-to-source orientation and distance, shadowing and electric field effects. The surface roughness of PVD coatings mainly originates from growth defects (droplets, nodular defects, pinholes, craters, etc.). We briefly describe the causes of their formation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Topography Effects on Functional Properties of PVD Coatings)

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13 pages, 3525 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Distribution of the Deposition Rates in an Industrial-Size PECVD Reactor Using HMDSO Precursor

by Žiga Gosar, Denis Đonlagić, Simon Pevec, Bojan Gergič, Miran Mozetič, Gregor Primc, Alenka Vesel and Rok Zaplotnik

Coatings 2021, 11(10), 1218; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings11101218 - 5 Oct 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1899

Abstract

The deposition rates of protective coatings resembling polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) were measured with numerous sensors placed at different positions on the walls of a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) reactor with a volume of approximately 5 m³. The plasma was maintained by an asymmetric capacitively coupled radiofrequency (RF) discharge using a generator with a frequency 40 kHz and an adjustable power of up to 8 kW. Hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) was leaked into the reactor at 130 sccm with continuous pumping using roots pumps with a nominal pumping speed of 8800 m³ h⁻¹ backed by rotary pumps with a nominal pumping speed of 1260 m³ h⁻¹. Deposition rates were measured versus the discharge power in an empty reactor and a reactor loaded with samples. The highest deposition rate of approximately 15 nm min^–1 was observed in an empty reactor close to the powered electrodes and the lowest of approximately 1 nm min^–1 was observed close to the precursor inlet. The deposition rate was about an order of magnitude lower if the reactor was fully loaded with the samples, and the ratio between deposition rates in an empty reactor and loaded reactor was the largest far from the powered electrodes. The results were explained by the loss of plasma radicals on the surfaces of the materials facing the plasma and by the peculiarities of the gas-phase reactions typical for asymmetric RF discharges. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Topography Effects on Functional Properties of PVD Coatings)

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22 pages, 19220 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Influence of Growth Defects on the Oxidation Resistance of Sputter-Deposited TiAlN Hard Coatings

by Peter Panjan, Aljaž Drnovšek and Goran Dražić

Coatings 2021, 11(2), 123; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings11020123 - 22 Jan 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2361

Abstract

This paper reports the results of an investigation of the oxidation of a sputter-deposited TiAlN hard coating in air at temperatures of 800 and 850 °C for times ranging from 15 min to 2 h. The study is focused on the role of growth defects in the oxidation process. The mechanism of oxidation at the site of the defect was studied on cross-sections made by the consecutive sectioning of oxidized coatings with the FIB technique. We found that in the early stage of oxidation, the locally intense oxidation always starts at such defects. Although the growth defects reduce the oxidation resistance of the coating locally, we believe that they do not have a decisive influence on the global oxidation resistance of the coating. There are several reasons for this. The first is that the surface area covered by growth defects is relatively low (less than 1%). Secondly, the coating is permeable only at those defects that extend through the entire coating thickness. Thirdly, the permeability at the rim of some defects strongly depends on the density of pores at the rim of defects and how open they are. The size and density of such pores depend on the shape and size of topographical irregularities on the substrate surface (e.g., seeds, pits), which are responsible for the formation of growth defects. We also found that oxidation of the TiAlN coating is accelerated by oxygen and titanium diffusion through the pores formed by crystal grain growth in the outer alumina overlayer. Such pores are formed due to the compressive stresses in the Ti-rich oxide layer, which are caused by the large difference in molar volumes between the oxide and nitride phases. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Topography Effects on Functional Properties of PVD Coatings)

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17 pages, 4063 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Metallurgical Soldering of Duplex CrN Coating in Contact with Aluminum Alloy

by Pal Terek, Lazar Kovačević, Aleksandar Miletić, Branko Škorić, Janez Kovač and Aljaž Drnovšek

Coatings 2020, 10(3), 303; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings10030303 - 24 Mar 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4725

Abstract

Coatings deposited by physical vapor deposition (PVD) significantly reduce the wear of high pressure die casting tools; however, cast alloy soldering still has a strong negative effect on production efficiency. Although a lot of research has been already done in this field, the fundamental understanding of aluminum alloy soldering toward PVD coatings is still scarce. Therefore, in this work the performance of CrN duplex coatings with different roughness is evaluated by a modified ejection test performed with delayed (DS) and conventional casting solidification (CS). After the ejection tests, sample surfaces and layers were subjected to comprehensive characterizations of their morphological and chemical characteristics. Considerably lower values of the ejection force were recorded in DS experiments than in CS experiments. Surface roughness played an important role in the CS experiments, while samples with different surface topographies in the DS experiments performed in a similar fashion. The decrease in the ejection force, observed in DS tests, is attributed to the formation of a thick Cr–O layer on CrN coating which reduced soldering and sliding friction against thick Al–O casting scale. The Cr–O layer formed in DS experiments suffered from diffusion wear by cast alloy. The observed oxidation phenomena of nitride coatings may be utilized in a design of non-sticking coatings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Topography Effects on Functional Properties of PVD Coatings)

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17 pages, 6760 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Properties of Tool Steels and Their Importance When Used in a Coated System

by Bojan Podgornik, Marko Sedlaček, Borut Žužek and Agnieszka Guštin

Coatings 2020, 10(3), 265; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings10030265 - 12 Mar 2020

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 5191

Abstract

The introduction of new light-weight high-strength materials, which are difficult to form, increases demands on tool properties, including load-carrying capacity and wear resistance. Tool properties can be improved by the deposition of hard coatings but proper combination and optimization of the substrate properties are required to prepare the tool for coating application. The aim of this paper is to elaborate on tool steel substrate properties correlations, including hardness, fracture toughness, strength and surface quality and how these substrate properties influence on the coating performance. Results show that hardness of the steel substrate is the most influential parameter for abrasive wear resistance and load-carrying capacity, which is true for different types of hard coatings. However, high hardness should also be accompanied by sufficient fracture toughness, especially when it comes to very hard and brittle coatings, thus providing a combination of high load-carrying capacity, good fatigue properties and superior resistance against impact wear. Duplex treatment and formation of a compound layer during nitriding can be used as an additional support interlayer, but its brittleness may result in accelerated coating cracking and spallation if not supported by sufficient core hardness. In terms of galling resistance, even for coated surfaces substrate roughness and topography have major influence when it comes to hard ceramic coatings, with reduced substrate roughness and coating post-polishing providing up to two times better galling resistance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Topography Effects on Functional Properties of PVD Coatings)

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12 pages, 3412 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Laser-Assisted Surface Texturing of Ti/Zr Multilayers for Mesenchymal Stem Cell Response

by Suzana Petrović, Davor Peruško, Evangelos Skoulas, Janez Kovač, Miodrag Mitrić, Jelena Potočnik, Zlatko Rakočević and Emmanuel Stratakis

Coatings 2019, 9(12), 854; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings9120854 - 13 Dec 2019

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2854

Abstract

The formation of an ordered surface texture with micro and nanometer features on Ti/Zr multilayers is studied for better understanding and improvement of cell integration. Nanocomposite in form 30×(Ti/Zr)/Si thin films was deposited by ion sputtering on Si substrate for biocompatibility investigation. Surface texturing by femtosecond laser processing made it possible to form the laser-induced periodic surface structure (LIPSS) in each laser-written line. At fluence slightly above the ablation threshold, beside the formation of low spatial frequency-LIPSS (LSFL) oriented perpendicular to the direction of the laser polarization, the laser-induced surface oxidation was achieved on the irradiated area. Intermixing between the Ti and Zr layers with the formation of alloy in the sub-surface region was attained during the laser processing. The surface of the Ti/Zr multilayer system with changed composition and topography was used to observe the effect of topography on the survival, adhesion and proliferation of the murine mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Confocal and SEM microscopy images showed that cell adhesion and their growth improve on these modified surfaces, with tendency of the cell orientation along of LIPSS in laser-written lines. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Topography Effects on Functional Properties of PVD Coatings)

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Review

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40 pages, 20049 KiB

Open AccessReview

Review of Growth Defects in Thin Films Prepared by PVD Techniques

by Peter Panjan, Aljaž Drnovšek, Peter Gselman, Miha Čekada and Matjaž Panjan

Coatings 2020, 10(5), 447; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings10050447 - 3 May 2020

Cited by 147 | Viewed by 29519

Abstract

The paper summarizes current knowledge of growth defects in physical vapor deposition (PVD) coatings. A detailed historical overview is followed by a description of the types and evolution of growth defects. Growth defects are microscopic imperfections in the coating microstructure. They are most commonly formed by overgrowing of the topographical imperfections (pits, asperities) on the substrate surface or the foreign particles of different origins (dust, debris, flakes). Such foreign particles are not only those that remain on the substrate surface after wet cleaning procedure, but also the ones that are generated during ion etching and deposition processes. Although the origin of seed particles from external pretreatment of substrate is similar to all PVD coatings, the influence of ion etching and deposition techniques is rather different. Therefore, special emphasis is given on the description of the processes that take place during ion etching of substrates and the deposition of coating. The effect of growth defects on the functional properties of PVD coatings is described in the last section. How defects affect the quality of optical coatings, thin layers for semiconductor devices, as well as wear, corrosion, and oxidation resistant coatings is explained. The effect of growth defects on the permeation and wettability of the coatings is also shortly described. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Topography Effects on Functional Properties of PVD Coatings)

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Other

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2 pages, 165 KiB

Open AccessCorrection

Correction: Panjan et al. Surface Topography of PVD Hard Coatings. Coatings 2021, 11, 1387

by Peter Panjan, Aljaž Drnovšek, Nastja Mahne, Miha Čekada and Matjaž Panjan

Coatings 2023, 13(2), 435; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings13020435 - 15 Feb 2023

Viewed by 731

Abstract

The authors wish to make the following correction to this paper [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Topography Effects on Functional Properties of PVD Coatings)

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