11 th International Research/Expert Conference ”Trends in the Development of Machinery and Associated Technology” TMT 2007, Hammamet, Tunisia, 05-09 September, 2007. CHARACTERIZATION OF SPUTTER CRATERS AFTER GDOES EXPERIMENT PERFORMED ON TiAlN COATINGS Lidija Ćurković 1 , urđica Goršćak 2 , Vera Rede 1 , Sanjin Mahović 1 , Ivica Petrinić 1 1 Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Zagreb Ivana Lučića 5, Zagreb Croatia 2 Končar-Alati d.d. Fallerovo šetalište 22, 10000 Zagreb Croatia ABSTRACT GDOES is a rapid depth profiling technique. This analysis is destructive and there is a formation of sputter craters on the sample surface. In this work the depth profiling method GDOES is used for determining the thickness of TiAlN coating after determining the sputtering rate, as well as the crater microstructure. The GDOES depth profiles were measured by means of spectrometer GDS 750, Leco. The obtained data were compared with the thickness values obtained from the optical microscopy and the SEM fracture cross-sections. Structure of sputter craters after GDOES experiment at different coating depths were evaluated by the optical microscopy and the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The crater shape and depth were measured by means of Perthometer. The investigated TiAlN coatings were deposited on tool steel AISI D2 of Uddeholm Company under the trade name Sverker 21 by cathode arc evaporation technique (BAI 1200) in Balzers (Kapfenberg, Austria). Keywords: alumina ceramics, corrosion resistance, roughness parameters. 1. INTRODUCTION Tool steels were developed to resist wear at temperatures of forming and cutting applications. They are divided into six categories: cold work, shock resisting, hot work, high speed, mold and special- purpose tool steels. Cold work tool steels are the most important category because they are used for many types of tools and dies and other applications where high wear resistance and low cost are needed. Surface engineering such as surface treatment, coating and surface modification are employed to increase the surface hardness and minimise adhesion (reduce friction) and improve wear resistance of tool steel substrates. PVD hard coatings are well known for providing engineering surfaces with high hardness and high tribological properties. It is known that alloying of TiN coatings with additional elements could introduce marked effects on coating properties and performance [1,2,3]. Numerous studies have been carried out to manufacture multicomponent nitride coatings as alternatives to TiN coating for surface protection of cutting and forming tools. For instance, TiAlN coating is a common multicomponent system that yields superior oxidation resistance, and can significantly increase lifetime to cutting tools in comparison with conventional TiN coating [4]. In this paper, the depth qualitative composition profiles, sputtering rate and the thickness of TiAlN coating were determined by the glow discharge optical emission spectrometry (GDOES) method. The chemical compositions of each crater were determined by means of SEM with EDS detector. Structures of sputter craters after GDOES experiment at different coating depths were evaluated by the optical microscopy and the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). 223