Dense and smooth amorphous films of multicomponent FeCoNiCuVZrAl high-entropy alloy deposited by direct current magnetron sputtering

The multicomponent amorphous nitride films of FeCoNiCuVZrAl high-entropy alloy were deposited by direct current magnetron sputtering in the mixture atmosphere of Ar and N-2. The systematical investigations demonstrate that the chemical composition, microstructure, and mechanical properties of the amorphous films intimately rely on the concentration of N-2 in the atmosphere mixture. When N-2 flow ratio increases from 0% to 50%, the thickness of the films decreases, whereas the roughness firstly decreases and then increases. At the N-2 flow ratio of 30%, a perfect dense and smooth amorphous nitride film could be achieved. While the hardness and Young's modulus of the film reach the maximum values of 12 and 166 GPa, respectively. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.