Superhard C1-x-yNxZry Composite Films Prepared by Pulsed Bias Arc Ion Plating

A series of C1-x-yNxZry composite films were deposited on a cemented carbide substrate using pulsed bias arc ion plating by adjusting the nitrogen flow rate and the Zr target arc current simultaneously with the graphite target arc current fixing. The Zr and N contents in the films increase linearly while the C content shows an inverse trend as the Zr target arc current and N flow rate increase. The Raman spectra indicate that the deposited films are the characteristic diamondlike carbon. XRD results show that the ZrN crystalline phase is formed in the films. The hardness first increases and then decreases with increasing Zr and N contents, reaching the highest superhard value of 43.6GPa at x=0.19, y=0.28.