Nanomechanical properties of thin films manufactured via magnetron sputtering from pure aluminum and aluminum-boron targets

•Aluminum composite with AlB2 particles was used as target in a magnetron sputtering.•Adhesion strength methodology for thin films from scratch test by nanoindenter.•The tip/film/substrate interaction influenced the films mechanical properties.•Composite films presented better mechanical behavior than aluminum thin films. The present research focuses on the manufacturing of thin films using pure aluminum and aluminum-boron targets. The magnetron-sputtered films were produced at different discharge power levels on glass substrates and silicon wafers. Nanoindentation permitted characterizing the films’ hardness, elastic modulus, and adhesion strength, using the continuous stiffness measurement method and via a scratch test. In addition, this manuscript proposes a methodology to evaluate the film adhesion strength to the substrates upon a scratch test using a Berkovich tip. Nano-mechanical test results revealed that the film deposited from the aluminum-boron target had the larger elastic modulus, hardness, and adhesion strength than the pure aluminum films. Thus, the complementary characterization techniques allowed assessing how the material target, substrate type, and sputtering conditions influenced the mechanical behavior of the films.