Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 March 2012
Polycrystalline TiN/SiNx multilayer coatings were deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering from Ti and Si targets. Interfaces, structures, and mechanical properties of the multilayers were characterized using X-ray reflectivity (XRR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and nanoindentation analyses. Results showed that substrate bias voltage had a significant influence on the structures and mechanical properties of the multilayer coatings, in which sharp interfaces are responsible for an enhancement of mechanical properties of the multilayer coatings. The maximum hardness occurs at the −80 V coating with the sharpest interface and the strongest [200] preferred orientation.