Nanostructured CrN and SiC hard coatings

Nanostructured hard coatings of CrN and SiC were synthesized on silicon substrates by Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD). Using respective elemental/metal (chromium) nitride and silicon carbide as targets, nanostructured coatings with various thicknesses were obtained. These coatings were characterized by Glancing Incidence XRD (GIXRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Single phase nano-sized CrN and SiC were obtained in the respective coatings. Particle size obtained from AFM and SEM images were compared. For surface properties of these nanostructured coatings, studies were carried out using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Atomic Force Acoustic Microscopy (AFAM). Surface stiffness of 100 nm thick nanostructured SiC and CrN coatings were compared.