Under an NYI award the tribological behavior of thin films will be studied with emphasis on the effects of processing, topography of the substrate surface, and relative coating/substrate properties. The possibility of enhancing coating adhesion by engineering the surface topography of the substrate and by closely controlling the coating thickness will be evaluated. Initial emphasis will be on the diamond-like and cubic boron nitride films deposited on stainless steel and carbon steel substrates. At a later stage, attempts will be made to develop low friction films by co- deposition of a hard coating material with a softer solid lubricant material.
