TEXTURE ANALYSES OF CHEMICALLY VAPOR-DEPOSITED COATINGS IN THE TI-C-N SYSTEM BY WIDE FILM DEBYE-SCHERRER X-RAY-DIFFRACTION TECHNIQUE

Abstract

Texture analyses were performed on the chemically vapor deposited monolithic TiN, TiC, TiC(x)N(y) coatings and graded TiN/TiC coatings by wide film Debye-Scherrer X-ray diffraction technique. The preferred orientations of the coatings were investigated as a function of coating thickness and input gas composition. The growth of TiN and TiC coatings was initiated as randomly oriented crystallites which subsequently grew into large columnar grains with a [110] preferred orientation. The textures of TiC coatings with the same thickness changed from the [110] orientation to the [100] orientation with decreasing hydrogen concentration in the gas phase. TiC(x)N(y) coatings exhibited a preferred orientation of [111] up to the CH4/CH4+N2 ratio of 0.14 above which a strong [100] texture developed. The texture analyses on the graded TiN/TiC coatings showed that the TiC top layers were oriented in a [100] direction perpendicular to the sample surface.