Effect of HPPMS Pulse-Frequency on Plasma Discharge and Deposited AlTiN Coating Properties

Figure 16

AFM image of the AlTiN coating surface deposited at 500 Hz for a scanned area of 10 × 10 μm with a maximal structure height of 542 nm (droplet) and a maximal structure depth of −37 nm. The SEM image on the left (a) illustrates the surface structure in the nanometre range as an example for the marked surface area. The SEM image on the right (b) shows a comparable sized and formed droplet like in the red coloured region in the AFM image.