Effect of WC-Co Substrate Pretreatment on the Mechanical Properties of Arc Evaporated TiN, Ti–Cu–N, and TiAlN Films

Thin films of TiN, Ti–Cu–N, and TiAlN are deposited onto WC-Co substrates using the plasma-assisted cathodic arc deposition. Several substrates are preliminarily nitrided in the plasma of the nonself-sustained arc discharge, and other several substrates are preimplanted with three kinds of metal ions, namely Ti
⁺
, Cr
⁺
, and Zr
⁺
. The Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), scratch test, micro- and nanoindentation techniques are used to analyze the element concentration, depth profiles in pretreated substrates, adhesive strength, and also mechanical properties of nitride films. It is shown that the film adhesion depends on both the film composition and the substrate pretreatment. The film adhesion is improved by the formation of the transition layers after nitriding or ion implantation.