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Science 16 August 1996:
Vol. 273. no. 5277, pp. 889 - 892
DOI: 10.1126/science.273.5277.889
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Articles

New Routes in the Preparation of Mechanically Hard Films

William D. Sproul

Superhard nitride superlattice coatings with nanometer-scale multilayers have hardnesses exceeding 50 gigapascals, making these films highly resistant to abrasion. The nitride superlattice films can be deposited economically by reactive sputtering in production-size equipment on a variety of substrates. A model for the superlattice strength enhancement has been developed that accurately predicts which materials can be used together to produce the enhanced hardness. Advancements in sputtering technologymdash specifically, pulsed dc power and reactive-gas partial-pressure controlmdash make it possible to reactively deposit nonconducting oxide films at high deposition rates. This technology is being used along with the superlattice strength model in the development of oxide superlattice films.

The author is with BIRL, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60201, USA. E-mail: wsproul{at}nwu.edu




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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)