Influence of the Crystallographic Orientation on the Mechanical Behaviour of Sputtered Silver Thin Films

Abstract

In this research work, sputtering was used to deposit silver thin films under different deposition parameters, namely by changing deposition pressure, substrate bias and discharge gas. The main objective of the present work was to study the influence of the textured grain in the mechanical behaviour of the modified surfaces. The deposition rate, chemical composition (EPMA), morphology (SEM) and hardness were also assessed. In the slide alternating wear tests, where poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) was used as counterbody, the loads varied from 10 to 30 N. One of the major conclusions of this work is that the thin films with the strongest (111) preferential crystallographic orientation correspond to the highest deposition rate. These sample present higher hardness and lower wear coefficient if compared with other orientations