CrB2 coatings deposited by inductively coupled plasma assisted DC magnetron sputtering

CrB2 coatings were synthesized on high speed steel (HSS) substrates using inductively coupled plasma (ICP) assisted DC magnetron sputtering, and the structure and properties of the CrB2 coating produced at different ICP powers and substrate biases were investigated. The hardness of the CrB2 coatings increased from 30 GPa to 54 GPa by increasing the ICP power as well as the negative substrate bias. By increasing ICP power, the preferred orientation of the CrB2 coating changed from (101) to (001). The CrB2 coating showed excellent corrosion resistance. The corrosion resistance of the CrB2 coatings was also found to be much better than that of the TiB2 coatings. The adhesion strength of the film could be improved considerably after ICP nitriding of the substrate.