Deposition of Ti-Al-N Films by Using a Cathodic Vacuum Arc with Pulsed Bias

Ti-Al-N hard films have been prepared by cathodic arc deposition by using an unipolar pulsed bias. In the present study, Ti-Al-N films were deposited on stainless steel and silicon wafers. The deposition rate, micrograph, preferred orientation and composition were systematically investigated by usingx-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and a scanning electron microscope (SEM). It is shown that substate bias duty cycle and frequency have a great effect on film structure. A simple explanation for the results is also presented.