Oxidation of nano-multilayered AlTiSiN thin films between 600 and 1000 degrees C in air

Multilayered AlTiSiN films with a composition of 32.0Al-12.4Ti-4.9Si-50.7N (at.%) were deposited on a steel substrate in a nitrogen atmosphere by cathodic arc plasma deposition. The films consisted of crystalline approximately 8 nm-thick AISiN nanolayers that originated from the Al-Si target and approximately 3 nm-thick TiN nanolayers that originated from the Ti target. Their oxidation characteristics were studied between 600 and 1000 degrees C for up to 20 h in air. They displayed good oxidation resistance due to the formation of a thin, dense Al2O3 surface scale below which an (Al2O3, TiO2, SiO2)-intermixed inner scale existed. They oxidized slower than TiN films because protective Al2O3-rich scales formed on the surface. However, they oxidized faster than CrN films because impure Al2O3 scale formed on the AlTiSiN film. Their oxidation progressed primarily by the outward diffusion of nitrogen and substrate elements, combined with the inward transport of oxygen that gradually reacted with Al, Ti, and Si in the film.