Preparation and characterization of titanium based coatings by Direct-Current (DC) magnetron sputtering process

Abstract

Thin film coatings by sputtering process are widely used in numerous industries due to their superior qualities such as improvement in wear and corrosion resistance, enhancement of the surface quality, functional properties enrichment and increased life-time. So withstanding the above mentioned conditions is essential for numerous industrial and medical applications. One of the most effective ways to create thin film materials of desired composition is sputtering process. Nordiko sputtering (NS) 2500 equipment is used in this thesis work to carry out the sputtering experiments. The aim of the thesis work is to study the relationship between depositions parameters used for DC magnetron sputtering process using Nordiko sputtering (NS-2500) equipment. The study is mainly focused to explain the relationship between deposition rates of thin film depositions with respect to sputtering parameters involved. One of the main objective is to study the effect of deposition parameters on the resultant microstructures and properties such as adhesion strength and surface roughness. This research work also deals with investigating the operation of Nordiko sputtering equipment and obtaining relevant experience related to it. The study is also focused on to briefly analyze the effect of substrate heating and etching to understand the morphological changes observed during sputtering depositions The thin film coating formation of titanium and titanium nitride compositions is successfully deposited using Nordiko sputtering equipment. Typical deposition rates were able to achieve in this DC magnetron sputtering process. In this thesis work, the relationship between deposition parameters is studied in detail and verified using various experimentation techniques. The effect of deposition parameters on the resultant microstructures and properties such as adhesion strength and surface roughness is successfully studied using several characterization techniques such as FESEM, adhesion strength, optical profilometer and XRD analysis. The effect of substrate etching and heating is studied briefly in this thesis work and the results established significant improvement in deposition rates and adhesion strength values. The sputtering equipment used in this experiment work is studied completely and it can be used for versatile operations. A short operational guide regarding the user manual is also prepared in this thesis report