Corrosion Resistant TiTaN and TiTaAlN Thin Films Grown by Hybrid HiPIMS/DCMS Using Synchronized Pulsed Substrate Bias with No External Substrate Heating

Ti0.92Ta0.08N and Ti0.41Al0.51Ta0.08N thin films grown on stainless-steel substrates, with no external heating, by hybrid high-power impulse and dc magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS/DCMS), were investigated for corrosion resistance. The Ta target was operated in HiPIMS mode to supply pulsed Ta-ion fluxes, while two Ti (or Ti and Al) targets were operated in DCSM mode in order to provide a high deposition rate. Corrosion resistance was investigated using potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy employing a 3.5% NaCl solution at room temperature. The 300-nm-thick transition-metal nitride coatings exhibited good corrosion resistance due to film densification resulting from pulsed heavy Ta-ion irradiation during film growth. Corrosion protective efficiencies were above 99.8% for both Ti0.41Al0.51Ta0.08N and Ti0.92Ta0.08N, and pore resistance was apparently four orders of magnitude higher than for bare 304 stainless-steel substrates.