Microstructure and Properties of WB2/Cr Multilayer Films with Different Bilayer Numbers Deposited by Magnetron Sputtering

doi:10.1007/s40195-021-01285-3

Abstract

Abstract:

The influence of the bilayer number on the microstructure, mechanical properties, adhesion strength and tribological behaviors of the WB₂/Cr multilayer films was systematically investigated in the present study. Five groups of WB₂/Cr films with the same modulation ratio were synthesized by magnetron sputtering technique. The crystalline structure of the films was determined by X-ray diffraction. The morphologies and the microstructure of the films were observed by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Furthermore, Nano indenter, scratch tester and ball-on-disc tribometer were used to evaluate the mechanical and tribological properties. As bilayer numbers varied from 5 to 40, the hardness increased first and then decreased with the maximum hardness of 33.9 GPa when the bilayer number is 30. The H/E^* and H³/E^*2 values calculated to evaluate the fracture toughness showed the similar changing trend with hardness. The adhesion strength reached the maximum of 67 N when the bilayer number is 30. The surface roughness and friction coefficient decreased with increasing bilayer number. The wear mechanism was also investigated, and the results suggested that the multilayer film with bilayer number of 30 exhibited the best wear resistance (1.78 × 10^-7 mm³/Nm), benefiting from the contribution of high hardness, fracture toughness and adhesion strength.

Key words: WB₂/Cr multilayer, Magnetron sputtering, Bilayer number, Tribological behavior

W. B. Shi, Y. M. Liu, W. H. Li, T. Li, H. Lei, J. Gong, C. Sun. Microstructure and Properties of WB₂/Cr Multilayer Films with Different Bilayer Numbers Deposited by Magnetron Sputtering[J]. Acta Metallurgica Sinica (English Letters), 2022, 35(4): 693-702.

Figures/Tables 13

Fig. 1 Scheme drawing of the DC magnetron sputtering system

Table 1 Deposition parameters of the WB2/Cr multilayer films with different bilayer numbers

Target	Current	Sputtering time (s)
Target	(A)	M5	M10	M20	M30	M40
WB₂	0.5	788	394	197	131	99
Cr	0.2	490	245	123	82	62

Table 2 Processing parameters of WB2/Cr multilayer films in this experiment

Sample designation	Parameters
Target material	Cr (99.99%); WB₂ (99.9%)
Substrate temperature (°C)	450
Distance between target and substrate (mm)	70
Working pressure (Pa)	0.7
Substrate bias voltage (V)	- 100
Target current (A)	Cr (0.2 A); WB₂ (0.5 A)
Bilayer number	5, 10, 20, 30, 40

Fig. 2 Backscattered SEM cross-sectional morphologies of the multilayer films with different bilayer numbers: a M5; b M10; c M20; d M30; e M40

Table 3 Average values of modulation period (Λ), RMS roughness, H, E, Lc2 and W of the films with different bilayer numbers

No	Bilayer number	Λ (nm)	RMS (Å)	H (GPa)	E (GPa)	L_c2 (N)	W (× 10^-7 mm³/Nm)
M5	5	318	64.4	25.5 ± 0.9	453.6 ± 14.5	26	5.3
M10	10	153	39.6	27.1 ± 0.8	424.9 ± 16.6	37	2.06
M20	20	85	45.5	31.3 ± 0.7	489.2 ± 17.2	41	3.31
M30	30	55	35.3	33.9 ± 1.4	542.6 ± 29.1	67	1.78
M40	40	42	23	26.8 ± 0.8	483 ± 13.6	30	7.46

Fig. 3. 3D AFM surface images of the WB2/Cr multilayer films with different bilayer numbers: a M5; b M10; c M20; d M30; e M40

Fig. 4 XRD patterns of WB2/Cr multilayer films with different bilayer numbers

Fig. 5 a Typical TEM micrograph of the WB2/Cr multilayer film for M30; b corresponding HRTEM image on the black rectangular area (the inset is the FFT pattern of the area); c TEM micrograph of the WB2/Cr multilayer film for M40; d corresponding HRTEM image on the black rectangular area

Fig. 6 Mechanical properties of the deposited WB2/Cr multilayer films: a H and E; b H/E* and H3/E*2 as a function of bilayer numbers

Fig. 7 Typical friction-load curve of the M30 multilayer film with bilayer number of 30. a Optical images of scratch tracks; b, c local region of the scratch track in high magnification; d acoustic emission signals and friction curves as a function of load

Fig. 8 Coefficient of friction curves of WB2/Cr multilayer films with different bilayer numbers

Fig. 9 Typical SEM micrographs of worn surfaces of WB2/Cr multilayer films: a M5; b M10; c M20; d M30; e M40

Fig. 10 Wear rate and COF of the WB2/Cr multilayer films

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Microstructure and Properties of WB₂/Cr Multilayer Films with Different Bilayer Numbers Deposited by Magnetron Sputtering

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