Titanium nitride coatings are deposited using a hybrid system of cathodic arc evaporation and metal plasma ion implantation. The implant sources selected are Ti and C. Subsequent ion bombardment along with the conventional cathodic arc evaporation are applied to the deposition of TiN film. Implantation causes the increase of nucleation site density, favoring the formation of denser films. The increased density of nucleation sites due to high-energy ion impingement and the surface modification contribute to the fine microstructure of the TiN films. The critical loads evaluated from scratch tests are 60 N, 70 N and 78 N for unimplant-TiN, C+/TiN and Ti2+/TiN, respectively. It demonstrates the advantage of implant pre-treatment on adhesion strength. Pre-implantation of high dose Ti2+ and C+ (about 2 x 10(17) ions/cm2) also results in an improvement of the mechanical properties. Pin-on-disk wear analyses demonstrate a prolonged wear life of TiN coatings by Preimplantation of Ti2+ and C+ ions. The TiN surface modification by pre-implant ions (Ti2+ or C+) is investigated through the microstructure, adhesion strength and wears resistance.