Mechanical properties of silicon oxynitride thin films prepared by low energy ion beam assisted deposition

Silicon oxynitride (SiOxNy) films (0.1-0.7 μm) were produced on Si (100), glass and 316L stainless steel substrates by ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) using Si evaporation and the concurrent bombardment with a mixture of 200 eV N2 and Ar, or O2 and Ar ions. Adhesion was evaluated by pull-off tests. Film hardness was measured by a nanoindentation system with AFM. The measurement of internal stress in the films was carried out by the Stoney method. The film structure was examined by GXRD. XPS was employed to measure the composition of films and to analyze the chemical bonds. The dependence of mechanical properties on the film thickness and the processing temperature during deposition was studied. Finally, the relations between the mechanical properties of the films and the correlation with corrosion-protection ability of films are discussed and summarized.