Synthesis of Ti–Si–N nanocomposite coatings by a novel cathodic arc assisted middle-frequency magnetron sputtering

Ti–Si–N nanocomposite coatings were synthesized by using a cathodic arc assisted middle-frequency magnetron sputtering system in an industrial scale. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy were employed to investigate the chemical bonding and microstructure of the coatings. Atomic force microscope and scanning electron microscope were used to characterize the surface and cross-sectional morphologies of the samples. The coating was found to be nc-TiN/a-Si3N4 structure and exhibit a high hardness of 40 GPa when the Si content was 6.3 at.%.