To improve the gas ionization ratio, the Mo-V-Cu-N coatings were deposited by pulsed dc magnetron sputtering with assistance from an anode layer ion source, and the influence of the V/Mo atomic ratio was explored with regard to the microstructure and mechanical properties of the coatings. The findings of this study indicated that the MoVCuN coatings exhibited a solid solution phase of FCC B1-MoVN with a prominent (220) preferred orientation, and the deposition rate was found to decrease from 4.7 to 1.8 nm/min when the V/Mo atomic ratio increased. The average surface roughness of the MoVCuN coatings gradually decreased, and the lowest surface roughness of 6.9 nm was achieved at a V/Mo atomic ratio of 0.31. Due to the enhanced ion bombardment effect, the coatings changed from a coarse columnar to a dense columnar crystal structure, and promoted grain refinement at higher V/Mo atomic ratios, contributing to a gradual improvement in the compressive residual stress, hardness and adhesion strength of the coatings.
Keywords: ion source assisted; mechanical properties; microstructure.