Interfacial reactions and characterization of (TiVCrZrHf)N thin films during thermal treatment

(TiVCrZrHf)N coatings prepared using quinary metallic elements were deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering. The effects of post vacuum annealing on the structure and properties of the coatings were investigated using different analytical instruments. The (TiVCrZrHf)N coatings showed continuous changes in the microstructure as the coating thickness increased. A 270 nm-thick amorphous layer was initially formed, followed by a columnar...