Elastic Properties of Hardness Coatings Using Surface Acoustic Wave Spectroscopy

Published

October 1, 2002

Author(s)

Donna C. Hurley, A J. Richards, Vinod K. Tewary, A Bendavid, P J. Martin

Abstract

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) spectroscopy is a nondestructive way to determine the properties of thin films. Plane-wave SAWs are generated by a line-focused, pulsed laser and detected by a Michelson interferometer. Phase velocity dispersion relations over several hundred megahertz are obtained by measuring the displacement waveform versus propagation distance. Data analysis employs a new Green's function model that accommodateselastic anisotropy in the entire layered system. With this approach, quantitative values for film properties like thickness d and Young's modulus E are obtained- We present our results on two film materials developed forenhanced wear resistance and show how different physical models containing one or more film layers affects data analysis. In TiN film specimens, E generally increased with increasing d and decreasing compressive residual stress ς, regardless of the analysis model used. In superhard specimens of Ti_j-xSi_xN_y films with a nanocomposite structure, SAW values for E were in good agreement with results from instrumented indentation techniques. Results showed that the hardness-to-modulus ratio H/E, an indicator of wear resistance, was relatively high.

Proceedings Title

Ultrasonics Symposium | | 2002 IEEE Ultrasonics Symposium | IEEE

Volume

2002

Issue

1

Conference Dates

October 8-11, 2002

Conference Location

Munich, GE

Conference Title

IEEE Ultrasonics Symposium

Pub Type

Conferences

Keywords

laser ultrasonics, surface acoustic waves, thin films, Young's modulus

Citation

Hurley, D. , Richards, A. , Tewary, V. , Bendavid, A. and Martin, P. (2002), Elastic Properties of Hardness Coatings Using Surface Acoustic Wave Spectroscopy, Ultrasonics Symposium | | 2002 IEEE Ultrasonics Symposium | IEEE, Munich, GE (Accessed October 7, 2025)