A carbon nitride coating with a thickness of 100 nm was synthesized by IBAD
(ion-beam-assisted deposition), and the internal stress in coating was det
ected by measuring the change in curvature of the silicon substrate. Wear t
ests of CN, coatings sliding against a Si3N4 ball (3.5 mm radius) under a l
oad of 2.5 N (maximum Hertzian contact pressure 0.72 GPa), and wear tests o
f CN, coatings sliding against AFM diamond pins (150 nm radius) under a loa
d of 14 mu N (maximum Hertzian contact pressure 8.89 GPa) showed that the i
nternal compressive stress always reduces wear under a low or high contact
pressure. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.