Multilayer coatings TiAlN/TiN were deposited on silicon and SKD61 steel substrates with various numbers of TiN/TiAlN bilayer. The total thickness of the coatings is 500 nm, with different number of bi-layers. The multilayer microstructure was characterized by X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscope, nano-indentation and scanning electron microscopy. It is observed that as the number of bi-layer increased the RMS roughness of the coatings decreased. Also, with the increase in number of bilayers the wear resistance of the multilayer TiN/TiAlN films increased and the hardness decreased. The low hardness of TiAlN/TiN multi-layers and increase in wear resistance is attributed to diffused interfaces.

Keywords: TiN/TiAlN, Multilayer coatings, Hardness, Wear resistance