Structure and Properties of the Al-B-Si-C Coatings Deposited by Magnetron Sputtering

The structural, mechanical, and electrophysical properties of Al-B, Al-B-C, and Al-B-Si-C coatings obtained by dual magnetron sputtering of AlB2, SiC, and graphite targets are studied. During deposition, the current applied to the AlB2-containing target (I-AlB) is used as a main variable parameter. Deposited coatings are characterized by X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Knoop microhardness tests, and current-voltage characteristic measurements. It is established that all the deposited coatings are X-ray amorphous materials. The FTIR and XPS results show that the B-B, Al-B, B-O, and Al-O bonds are main bonds in all the deposited coatings. Dual sputtering of targets with AlB2 and C, and AlB2 and SiC gives rise to the formation of additional B-C, Si-C, and C-C main bonds in the deposited coatings. It is found the coatings are strengthened with an increase in the I-AlB current as a result of increasing the number of B-B and Al-B bonds. The current-voltage characteristics of Al-B and Al-B-C coatings indicate that the coatings are disordered semiconductors in which the hopping conduction mechanism operates.