  Coatings of ternary nanocomposite Si-C-N ceramic coatings have shown newer
and improved mechanical and functional properties over the coarser and
monolithic coatings. Properties like high hardness, wear resistance, oxidation
resistance, tunable band gap and chemical inertness have been observed for
Si-C-N which makes its potential for numerous applications. Although lot of
research has taken place in Si-C-N coatings, proper understanding of the effect
of different parameters on the coating properties are still not resolved. The
changes occurring in fraction of Si, C and N and the phases forming in the
coatings with variation in deposition conditions require investigations. This
research paper gives a systematic study of the role of different deposition
parameters like substrate temperature, pressure, power on the nucleation and
growth, structure, microstructural bonding and mechanical properties of the
film deposited by magnetron sputtering which adds significantly to the
fundamental knowledge of nanocomposite Si-C-N coatings as well as its
applications.
