Structural Evolution and Mechanical Properties of CrSiN/WSiN Multilayer Coatings

Monolithic CrSiN and WSiN films, as well as multilayered CrSiN/WSiN coatings, were fabricated via magnetron sputtering. The effects of bilayer stacking periods on the multilayer coatings’ characteristics were investigated. The monolithic CrSiN and WSiN films exhibited crystalline and near-amorphous structures, respectively, whereas the multilayer coatings exhibited mixed crystalline and amorphous phases. Moreover, the crystallinity of individual sublayers was affected by the underlying sublayers. The multilayer architecture effectively combined the mechanical and tribological properties of constituent sublayers. The mechanical properties of the multilayer coatings increased with decreasing bilayer period. The multilayered CrSiN/WSiN coatings with 12 alternative sublayers and a bilayer period of 143 nm exhibited a hardness and elastic modulus of 20.7 and 257 GPa, respectively. The bilayer and four-layer coatings demonstrated excellent wear resistance. Overall, the design of CrSiN/WSiN multilayer coatings with an optimized bilayer period can significantly enhance mechanical strength and wear resistance, indicating promising potential for advanced protective coating applications.