Effect of short-pulsed 200 keV C+ ion beam and continuous 350 keV He2+ ion beam irradiation on optical properties of Al-Si-N coatings with a various Si content

Abstract The article reports on the irradiation effects of 350 keV helium ions in the continuous mode and 200 keV carbon ions in the mode of short-pulsed implantation with doses of 20 MGy, 200 MGy and 600 MGy on the optical properties of crystalline aluminum nitride films and nanocomposite coatings based on Al-Si-N triple compound deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering onto a steel substrate. The energy and kinetic characteristics of the absorption spectra due to radiation defects and their simplest complexes are determined. Short-pulsed ion implantation is accompanied by intense radiation and thermal annealing of unstable radiation defects, along with their complexes and the formation of thermostable defect complexes. The influence of the interaction between the states of defects with the growth and/or radiation nature localized in the forbidden zone with the depth on the properties is established. Dose dependences of the optical characteristics indicate a high radiation resistance of the coatings. The radiation resistance of the coatings is due to the limiting effect of high concentration of growth defects on the accumulation of radiation defects, the wide band gap of nitrides, and the interaction of defects through the exchange of charge carriers between their levels.