Microhardness and structure of reactive ion-plated chromium/carbon films

Reactive ion-plated chromium/carbon films exhibit a strong adherence and values of microhardness, which are clearly higher than those of pure chromium. Structure investigations by high resolution electron diffraction revealed microcrystallites of bcc Cr with mean diameters of some nm. In addition to chromium with a slightly dilated lattice, the films contain chromium oxide and chromium carbide. This interpretation is supported by the results of phase analysis with annealed Cr/C films.