The ternary Ti (Zr, N) phases formation and modification of TiN coatings by Zr+ MEVVA ion implantation

The TEM observation shows that TiN coating changed over from columnar structure to compact texture after Zr+ implantation. X-Ray analysis indicates that combining of N with Zr, Ti atoms and Ti2N would be transformed into TiN and ternary Ti (Zr, N) phases during Zr-implantation with high doses, high ion flux and annealing. Therefore, the wear resistance had improved obviously, the hardness of the TiN coating increased by 1.3–1.7 times after Zr+ implantation. The wear resistance of implanted TiN coatings increased obviously. As an attractive procedure, the MEVVA source ion implantation of the TiN coatings would find new applications in many fields.