M. Balaceanu, A. Vladescu, M. Braic, C. N. Zoita, I. Feraru, V. Braic, Influence of ion bombardment flux on the characteristics of NiC films obtained by cathodic arc deposition, Optoelectron. Adv. Mater. – Rapid Comm., 4/12 (2010) 2219 – 2223.

Title: Influence of ion bombardment flux on the characteristics of NiC films obtained by cathodic arc deposition

Abstract: This paper aims to provide an analysis on the effects of ion bombardment flux (j(i)) on film characteristics of nickel carbide films deposited by the cathodic arc method, under the conditions when ion energy (E,) and the ratio of the ion flux to the flux of deposited atoms (j(i)/j(a).) were kept constant. The deposition atmosphere consisted in a CH(4)+Ar mixture. The substrate current density was varied from 2.7 to 4.4 mA/cm(2) by using either one Or two cathodes. The coatings were investigated in terms of elemental and phase composition, texture, chemical bondings, residual stress, hardness, electrical characteristics and tribological performance. The experimental results showed that film crystallinity, hardness and wear resistance of the NiC coatings improved at increased ion bombardment intensity.

Key words: Nickel carbide; Cathodic arc; Mechanical properties; Electrical resistivity