Structural analysis of CVD Hard Coatings
- Reference number
- SM23-0058
- Project leader
- Stiens, Dirk
- Start and end dates
- 240101-251231
- Amount granted
- 841 579 SEK
- Administrative organization
- Chalmers University of Technology
- Research area
- Materials Science and Technology
Summary
Innovative steps in CVD coatings focus on material properties like crystallographic texture, phase, chemical composition, grain morphology, layer adhesion or mechanical stresses. Research and development in this field therefore requires in-depth understanding of the coating materials, growth mechanism, and wear properties. With the project “Structural Analysis of CVD Hard Coatings” we intend to intensify our collaboration aimed at a deeper understanding of the materials science of novel CVD hard coatings deposited by moderate temperature processes. The aim is to link detailed microstructure down to the atomic level to the properties of the CVD coatings, and thereby gain knowledge which will be the basis for developing future products. This project will focus on studying nucleation and growth of different alumina polymorphs by novel moderate temperature CVD processes. Advanced materials characterization will help to answer the following questions: How do the different process conditions influence film growth compared to alumina grown by conventional water-gas based precursor chemistry? Which effects of interface chemistry and which crystallographic and epitaxial relations occur when nucleating alumina in fcc-phase underlying coatings? How do growth textures evolve, and what are the effects of catalysts like hydrogen sulphide (H2S) compared to the water gas process?
Popular science description
As the manufacturing industry demands more cost and energy efficient processes for the machining of metal, the development of new hard wear resistant coatings by Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) continues to be a technological basis for commercial success in the cutting tool business. The Sandvik Machining Solutions Group and Walter AG strive to maintain their technological leadership in the field of CVD hard coatings. The development of new generations of cutting tools with enhanced performance requires coating materials with new properties and improved process technology. For in-depth studies of the materials science of the coatings, Sandvik Machining Solutions (SMS) and Walter maintain long-term collaborations with academic institutions in Sweden and elsewhere. The results of this collaborative research, the exchange of ideas and personnel, contribute to the development of successful products at the industrial partners, and at the same time to the development of the research discipline in academia. As research focuses on understanding of materials properties and microstructure, activities of the academic partners extend the industrial parties’ competence and possibilities regarding advanced characterization and simulation techniques. Novel CVD processes using highly reactive precursors are intensively studied at Walter. New coating types and multilayer systems emerge from this work and pose questions to materials science and engineering which will be studied in this project. A main focus is understanding the nucleation and growth of novel aluminum oxide coatings deposited by moderate temperature processes. The alternative precursor gas chemistry does not only enable a more energy efficient production process of the coating. It will also lead to different structures and properties of the deposited layers, and a close linkage of research capabilities in industry and academia will be required to gain insights in these phenomena.