Characterization of tungsten-carbon layers deposited on stainless steel by reactive magnetron sputtering

Abstract

Tungsten-carbon coatings have been deposited on stainless steel substrates by reactive magnetron sputtering from Ar–CH₄ mixtures. The carbon concentration in the coatings measured by electron microprobe analyses was found to be proportional to the CH₄ flow rate. Only the cubic α–W phase with a dilated lattice parameter was identified in W–C coatings having a carbon content lower than 25 at. %. Since the lattice parameter of the α–W phase in these W–C coatings increased with increasing carbon content, these coatings may be assumed to be W–C solid solutions. Only the nonstoichiometric β–WC_1−x carbide (cubic phase) was detected in W–C coatings containing 30 to 70 at. % of carbon. The chemical state of the elements was investigated by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The Vickers hardness of the W–C coatings was found to be considerably dependent on the carbon concentration. A maximum microhardness of 26 000 MPa was measured for W–C coatings containing either 14–15 at. % or 40–45 at. % of carbon. The correlation between crystallographic structure and microhardness is analyzed and discussed in this paper.