Mechanical Properties of Thin AlSiN Films, Studied by Nanoindentation, as a Thermal-Stability Criterion

Abstract

The results of studying the roughness, microhardness, and elasticity modulus of AlSiN films with a thickness of 300 nm in the initial state and after thermal annealing at a temperature of 600–900°C in vacuum and at 400–1000°C in air are presented. Coatings with nanocrystalline (6 at % Si) and amorphous (30 at % Si) structures are formed by means of magnetron sputtering. Using atomic force microscopy, it is established that the roughness of both nanocrystalline and amorphous films remains almost unchanged after annealing below 800°C. As a result of nanoindentation, it is established that the dependences of the elasticity modulus on the temperature of annealing in both vacuum and air completely coincide with each other for amorphous films and are rather close to each other in the case of nanocrystalline films.