Characterization and tribological properties of Cr-N films by ion beam enhanced deposition

Cr-N films are synthesized by nitrogen ion beam enhanced deposition. The structure of the films is characterized by X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, where the friction and wear properties of the films are investigated on a ball-on-disc tester. The results Show that the phases and orientation of Cr-N are affected obviously by nitrogen ion bombarding energy, and the films with such lower energy have better tribological properties and higher fracture toughness.