High-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) is a physical vapor deposition method used to deposit of thin films based on magnetron sputtering deposition. Very high power densities (in a few kW⋅cm−2 range) are applied in very short pulses (few tens of microseconds). HiPIMS allows reaching a high ionization degree of the sputtered material around several tens of percent versus a few percent for conventional magnetron sputtering such as radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering.

This work focused transition metal nitrides coatings deposition on various substrates. Transition metal nitrides coatings are widely studied because of their good optical, mechanical, thermal... properties. Depending on the microstructure, coatings present different properties. Single phased layers are obtained by optimizing process parameters in reactive sputtering. Continuous nitrides coatings are obtained. They exhibit a crystalline structure with specific texturation, or not, and nanometric grains sizes depending on the type of nitrides and on process parameters. Properties (oxidation, mechanical, electrical and optical), grain sizes and chemical compositions are studied from the surface to the interface with the substrate.