Elastic constants and hardness of ion-beam-sputtered TiNx films measured by Brillouin scattering and depth-sensing indentation

Abstract
TiNx films of various composition have been prepared by reactive‐ion‐beam sputtering at a deposition temperature of 50 °C. Young’s modulus E and hardness H of these films were measured by a depth‐sensing nanoindentation technique, whereas the shear modulus G was obtained by a measurement of the velocity of the acoustic surface wave by Brillouin light scattering. The study was extended over a wide range of stoichiometries, 0≤x≤0.8. A proportionality between E and H has been observed.