Structural and Morphological Properties of Titanium Aluminum Nitride Coatings Produced by Triode Magnetron Sputtering

TixAl1-xN coatings were grown using the triode magnetron sputtering technique varying the bias voltage between -40 V and -150V. The influence of bias voltage on structural and morphological properties was analyzed by means of energy dispersive spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy techniques. As the bias voltage increased, an increase in the Al atomic percentage was observed competing with Ti and producing structural changes. At low Al concentrations, the film presented a FCC crystalline structure; nevertheless, as Al was increased, the structure presented a mix of FCC and HCP phases. On the other hand, an increase in bias voltage produced a decrease films thickness due to an increase in collisions. Moreover, the grain size and roughness were also strongly influenced by bias voltage