STUDY OF MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF NANOLAYERED TI/NI COATINGS

The aim of the present work was to study the dependence of mechanical properties of Ti/Ni multilayer thin films on the thicknesses of constituent Ti and Ni layers. The multilayer thin films were synthesized by deposition of Ti and Ni layers alternately on single crystalline silicon substrates using direct current magnetron sputtering method. Thicknesses of Ti and Ni layers varied from 1.7 nm to 100 nm. The micro-structure of the multilayer films was studied using X-ray diffraction technique, scanning electron microscopy with focused ion beam technique and transmission electron microscopy. Mechanical properties obtained from nanoindentation experiments were discussed in relation to microstructural observations.