Investigation of the wear behaviors of Ag/Cu multilayers by nanoscratch

Wear behaviors of Ag/Cu multilayers were evaluated and compared using nanoscratch techniques under a ramping load. Scratch grooves were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and in situ cross-section scan. It was found that the friction coefficients for all samples have significant difference and the wear resistance is not linearly proportional to the hardness. These discrepancies were suggested to be a result of the transition of the wear mechanism from micro-cutting to micro-ploughing with decreasing periodicity. Multilayer with periodicity Λ = 100 nm has the highest friction coefficient and wear resistance due to formation of built-up edge. The elastic recovery increases consistently with increasing H/E.