Fabrication of nitride films by co-sputtering of high-entropy alloys and tungsten

This study produces (AlCrNbSiTiV-W)N films onto soda-lime glass and SUS 304 stainless steel substrates using reactive co-sputtering. The target materials are high-entropy alloys (HEAs, AlCrNbSiTiV, 2 inches in diameter) and tungsten (W, 3 inches in diameter). The deposition time is 15 min, the sputtering power for targets of W and (AlCrNbSiTiV) is 200 W, the substrate temperature is 150 °C and the properties of (AlCrNbSiTiV-W)N films for various N₂/(Ar + N₂) flow ratios (0, 5, 10, 15, and 20%) are determined the mechanical properties (such as surface morphology, film hardness, wear, surface roughness, and corrosion resistance) and microstructure (such as grain size, lattice structure, and elemental content). The XRD results show that (AlCrNbSiTiV-W)N film has a W (110) diffraction peak at 2θ∼40°. The microstructure of (AlCrNbSiTiV-W)N film is uniform, dense structure, and there is no peeling or cracking. As the N₂/(Ar + N₂) flow ratio increases to 20%, the highest hardness is 37.52 GPa, Young’s modulus is 210.4 GPa, the lowest friction coefficient is 0.516, and the best corrosion resistance is –221.6 mV.