Properties of Multilayered CrN/VN Films Prepared Using a Hybrid System of High-Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering and Pulsed Magnetron Sputtering

Nanomultilayered chromium nitride (CrN)/ vanadium nitride (VN) films with different layer thicknesses were synthesized on Si substrates using a hybrid system of reactive high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) and pulsed magnetron sputtering. The microstructure and properties of the nanomultilayered CrN/VN films were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the nanoindentation method, and the friction wear test. The XRD results showed that the multilayered films exhibited nanocrystallite structure with a (200) preferred orientation, and the estimated crystallite size was not highly dependent on the CrN and VN layer thicknesses. Inserting the VN layers decreased the compressive stress slightly compared to that of the CrN monolayer film and increased the hardness by 4-5 GPa compared to that of the CrN and VN monolayer films. The friction coefficient of the multilayered films strongly depended on the CrN layer thickness rather than on the VN layer thickness.