The toughness of arc enhanced magnetron sputtered SiCN hard films is determined using microindentation measurements. The effects of the chemical composition, hardness, and microstructure on the film toughness are investigated. The results show that the presence of Si and C affects the film microstructure. The films with the nanocrystalline/amorphous composite structure are highly resistant to cracking and the film toughness is almost proportional to hardness. Our data also reveal that SiCN films with smaller Si contents and larger C concentrations have better toughness albeit possessing high hardness of 37 GPa.
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