Influence of Sputtering Geometry and Conditions on the Structure and Properties of the TiN–Pb Solid Lubricating Coatings Fabricated by Magnetron Co-Sputtering of Two Separate Targets

TiN–Pb solid-lubricating coatings with various Pb contents and a thicknesses of 2–6 μm are fabricated by co-sputtering of Ti and Pb cathodes of two separate magnetrons on fixed and rotating substrates. The structure of the coatings changes from columnar to fine-grained when the Pb content increases from 3 to 13 at %. Pb-containing phase particles stimulate the formation of TiN nuclei of arbitrary orientations, which prevents the formation of a pronounced texture. The surface of the coatings is significantly smoothed when the Pb content increases, which manifests itself as a decrease in roughness parameters R a , R sk , and R ku . The hardness of the coatings decreases from 919 to 283 HV 50 when the lead content increases from 3 to 13 at % in the coating composition. A coating with a lead content of 13 at % has the lowest friction coefficient (~0.1), and a coating with 3 at % Pb exhibits the highest stability of tribological characteristics.