Manufacturing and structure investigation of TiN-Al2O3-multilayers

Wear resistant multilayers consisting of the components TiN and Al2O3 are d eposited on WC-Co-hardmetal substrates by plasma assisted chemical vapour d eposition (PACVD) using different variants. Cross sections of the layered s ystem are investigated by means of analytical transmission electron microsc opy (TEM). Correlations between the layer formation and the nanostructure o f the layers are revealed. Electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) in the scanning mode is used for the investigation of nanoscale interface regions, whereby both element- and bonding specific signals are used for characteri zation. (C) 2000 Acta Metallurgica Inc.