The influence of substrate exposure modes on the properties of chromium coatings deposited via magnetron sputtering

Abstract

During magnetron sputtering deposition many factors are present which could potentially influence the properties of coatings. The relative location of a substrate regarding a magnetron target determines the incident angle of the flux and the deposition rate, and the angle can change over time during deposition process. An important issue to address is how these changes caused by the substrate position variation affect the resulting coatings and their properties. To investigate this issue, the series of experiments were carried out. The distance between the substrate and the target, incident angle and rotation modes were the varying parameters during the experiment. The calculation and experimental determination of the deposition rates were carried out, as well as the X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of the obtained coatings. It was shown that the decrease in deposition rate leads to formation of (200) and (211) Cr in coatings, whereas high-rate deposition modes show the prevalence of (100) Cr, which can be achieved through axial or planetary rotation.