Depth profile analysis of plasma assisted CVD hard materials coatings

The wear resistance of homogeneous and multilayer TiNx., TiCxNy- and TiCx-coatings is considerably determined by the layer composition and by the conditions at the interface. This work deals with the possibilities of different depth profile analysis methods for the study of TiNx and TiCx layers on hard metal and steel substrates prepared by plasma assisted CVD technique, and furthermore it demonstrates the performance of factor analysis for detailed investigation of a multilayer system consisting of amorphous C and TiCx single layers.