Monitoring the film formation during sputter deposition of vanadium carbide by in situ X-ray reflectivity measurements

For optimizing the properties of magnetron sputtered coatings, the relation between the deposition conditions, microstructure formation, and mechanical properties has to be understood. Here, monitoring the material distribution during growth can give valuable information. In situ X-Ray Reflectivity measurements were performed, optimized for hard coating materials and applied to study the film formation of vanadium carbide. The gained knowledge was used to successfully create multilayer systems.