A combinatorial comparison of DC and high power impulse magnetron sputtered Cr2AlC

Using a combinatorial approach, Cr, Al and C have been deposited onto sapphire wafer substrates by High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HiPIMS) and DC magnetron sputtering. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction were employed to determine the composition and microstructure of the coatings and confirm the presence of the Cr2AlC MAX phase within both coatings. One location in both the DCMS and HiPIMS coatings contained only MAX phase Cr2AlC. The electrical resistivity was also found to be nearly identical at this location and close to that reported from the bulk, indicating that the additional energy in the HiPIMS plasma was not required to form high quality MAX phase Cr2AlC.