Structure, composition, and mechanical properties of thin films of transition metals diborides

The effect of the deposition conditions on the structure, composition, and mechanical properties of thin films of diborides of transition metals that have been produced by high frequency magnetron sputtering. It has been shown that depending on the applied bias voltage and substrate temperature coatings of various structures are formed: from amorphous-like to nanocrystalline. Under the optimal energy conditions (bias voltage 50 V and substrate temperature 500A degrees C) superstoichiometric thin films of transition metals diborides of grain sizes 20-30 nm, hardness 44 GPa, and anomalously high recovering of the imprint depth have been produced.