A novel coating method for rare earth metal oxide films and their tribological properties (part 3)-Scandium oxide film, scandium nitride film, and scandium nitride film on scandium oxide film

Scandium oxide, scandium nitride, and scandium nitride on scandium oxide thin films were synthesized by the simultaneous irradiation with scandium arc plasma and hyperthermal oxygen and nitrogen atom beams at substrate temperatures of room temperature, 300°C, 500°C, and 700°C. The film characterizations and tribological tests of the scandium composition thin films were carried out. Formations of scandium oxide (Sc₂O₃) and scandium nitride (ScN) were identified. The scandium oxide films were relatively flat, the scandium nitride films were not flat, and the scandium nitride on scandium oxide thin films except for synthesized at 700°C were relatively flat. It was found that scandium oxide thin films had good tribological properties in vacuum and scandium nitride thin films did in air, and that the tribological properties of scandium nitride on scandium oxide thin films except those synthesized at 700°C were good both in vacuum and in air.