Comparative Study of the Conditions for SiCN-Coatings Deposition in a Electron Beam Generated Plasma and in a Discharge with a Self-heated Hollow Cathode

The composition of the hollow cathode arc discharge plasma and low-energy electron beam plasma in a gas medium containing hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) vapors was studied and it was shown that the decomposition degree of HMDS molecules in a beam plasma is higher than in an discharge with a self-heated hollow cathode. SiCN-based coatings with a hardness of up to 18–20 GPA with a deposition rate of ~ 1µm/h at a temperature of 600°C were obtained. The composition of SiCN coatings was studied by IR spectroscopy, and it was shown that in the IR spectra of coatings obtained in a beam plasma, in contrast to deposition in an hollow cathode arc discharge, even in the low-temperature regime, the absorption peaks of the bonds of the initial HMDS molecules are rather low, including hydrogen-containing ones, which may also indicate a more intense decomposition of the precursor in the beam plasma and provides a higher microhardness of SiCN-coatings obtained in beam plasma at low temperatures (<200°C).