CHARACTERIZATION OF THIN TITANIUM FILMS DEPOSITED ON STEEL SUBSTRATES OBTAINED BY MAGNETRON SPUTTERING METHOD

Abstract

Titanium carbides are well known materials with great scientific and technological interest. The applications of these materials take advantage of the fact that they are very hard, refractory and that they have metallic properties. In this work, we have studied the influence of the heat treatment temperatures (400-1000°C) on the interaction between the titanium thin films and steel substrates. Steel substrates, 100C6 type (AFNOR norms), containing approximately 1 wt % of carbon, were coated at 200°C with titanium thin films by magnetron sputtering. The samples were characterized by X ray diffraction (XRD), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Vikers micro-hardness measurements carried out on the annealed samples showed that the microhardness increases with annealing temperature, reaches a maximum (3500 kg/mm2), then decreases progressively. The growth of micro-hardness is due to the diffusion of the carbon, and to the formation of titanium carbide. However, the decrease of micro-hardness is associated to the diffusion of iron and the formation of iron oxide (Fe2O3). At higher temperatures, we note the formation of titanium oxide (TiO2).