Ion beam assisted deposition and characterization of Zr-based multilayered coatings

ZrN/W multilayered coatings with different nanoscale modulation periods have been synthesized at different deposition time using ion beam assisted deposition. XRD, AES, Nanoindenter and profiler were employed to investigate the influence of modulation period on microstructure and mechanical properties of the coatings. The results showed that all superlattice coatings almost revealed higher mechanical property than the monolithic ZrN and W coatings. At modulation period of 8.6 nm, XRD pattern showed a significant mixture of strong ZrN (111), W (110), as well as weak ZrN (220) textures. It possessed the highest hardness (∼ 26 GPa), elastic modulus (∼ 310 GPa), and fracture resistance (∼ 80 mN), compared with the ones with other modulation period.