ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the results of a nanoindentation study on a hard ceramic thin film, i.e., Titanium Nitride (TiN). In general, Ti alloys are deployed extensively for biomedical, aerospace as well as spacecraft, automobile, cutting tools, protective surface, etc., applications. The reason is that they offer an attractive combination of higher strength-to-weight ratio, low thermal conductivity, low thermal expansion, and good corrosion resistance. However, the principal limitation of Ti alloys is their poor wear resistance, which for the most part is due to their low surface hardness. In order to solve these problems, different surface modification techniques, such as the plasma-assisted thermochemical treatment, plasma nitriding, ion implantation, and overlay thin-film deposition have been performed to obtain hard TiN thin films and coatings [1-8]. One of the best ways to take advantage of the high hardness of these TiN thin films or coatings is to use them for surface protection of other important materials like SS304 steel. These steels, in their many variants, find applications in machine tools, food processing, chemical production, and most importantly in engineering component industries. Therefore, in developing applications of TiN as a protective, hard, corrosionresistant coating on SS304, the first thing to be done is to understand the nanomechanical properties of the TiN thin films in sufficient detail.
