Plasma assisted metal-organic chemical vapor deposition of hard chromium nitride thin film coatings using chromium(III) acetylacetonate as the precursor

A new technique has been developed for depositing hard nanocrystalline chromium nitride (CrN) thin films on metallic and ceramic substrates using plasma assisted metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (PAMOCVD) technique. In this low temperature and environment-friendly process, a volatile mixture of chromium(III) acetylacetonate and either ammonium iodide or ammonium bifluoride were used as precursors. Nitrogen and hydrogen have been used as the gas precursors. By optimizing the processing conditions, a maximum deposition rate of ∼0.9 μm/h was obtained. A comprehensive characterization of the CrN films was carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD), microhardness, and microscopy. The microstructure of the CrN films deposited on well-polished stainless steel (SS) showed globular particles, while a relatively smooth surface morphology was observed for coatings deposited on polished yittria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ).