Chemical vapor deposition TiN coating on silicon carbide coated boron fibers

TiN was deposited as a coating onto SiC coated B fiber from TiCl₄ and NH₃ by chemical vapor deposition technique at 650 °C. Several analytical techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and x‐ray diffraction were employed to study the TiN coating and the coating‐fiber interface. The bulk of the coating is TiN with small amounts of titanium oxynitride. Depth profile by Auger electron spectroscopy showed that the diffusion zone of the TiN coating into the fiber is narrow, which indicates weak interfacial bonding. The structural morphology, as revealed by SEM, shows a globular structure transforming into a star‐shaped morphology down the length of the fiber. Finally, the TiN coated fibers showed higher tensile strength than the as‐received fiber.