Annealing effect on mechanical properties of Ta-Mo sputtered coatings

The annealing parameters play a vital role in determining and understanding the microstructures and mechanical properties of Ta-Mo nanostructured coatings in the annealing processes. This investigation aims at finding the best annealing parameters and predicting the behaviour of the annealing parameters during the preparation of Ta-Mo coatings by cosputtering deposition. This study reveals that phase transformation and grain growth of the coatings were strongly dependent on the annealing processes. Low temperature annealing process within 600 degrees C can increase the hardness H and elastic modulus E due to the increased grain size and decreased crystal defect. However, severe oxidation occurred in the coatings by the high temperature annealing process that exceeded 700 degrees C. Finally, a three stage model related to the low and high temperature annealing mechanisms of Ta-Mo coating was proposed.