Microstructure of cosputter-deposited metal- and oxide-MoS2 solid lubricant thin films

M. R. Hilton*, G. Jayaram, L. D. Marks

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

79 Scopus citations

Abstract

The effect of cosputtering small amounts of Ni (3%, 9%) and SbOx (20%) on the final microstructure of MoS2 lubricant thin films has been studied using a combination of scanning and transmission electron microscopy imaging, and electron and x-ray diffraction techniques. The early-growth, near-interface microstructure of both MoS2 and 3% Ni-MoS2 cosputtered films is revealed to be a mixture of (002) basal and elongated, large-size (100) and (110) edge islands. Cosputtering with 9% Ni induces a dramatic change in the microstructure, i.e., primarily basal domains with very small isolated regions of edge islands, while cosputtering with 20% SbOx produces films having no long-range order. The results are compared with and are consistent with previously published x-ray absorption fine structure data. The impact of film morphology on tribological performance is discussed.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1022-1032
Number of pages11
JournalJournal of Materials Research
Volume13
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 1998

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Materials Science
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Mechanics of Materials
  • Mechanical Engineering

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Microstructure of cosputter-deposited metal- and oxide-MoS2 solid lubricant thin films'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this