The Role of Substrate Temperature and Magnetic Filtering for DLC by Cathodic Arc Evaporation

Abstract

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films were deposited using two different types of high current arc evaporation. The first process used a magnetic particle filter to remove droplets from the plasma. For the second process, the samples were put into a metallic cage which was placed directly above the plasma source. For both processes, we varied the substrate temperature from 21 to 350 °C in order to investigate the temperature effect. The samples were characterized using SEM, AFM, XPS, Raman Spectroscopy, Ellipsometry, Photometry, and Nano Indentation in order to compare both methods of deposition and provide a careful characterization of such DLC films. We found that the sp3 content and the hardness can be precisely adjusted by changing the substrate temperature. Furthermore, in the case of unfiltered deposition, the optical constants can be shifted in the direction of higher absorbance in order to produce black and hard carbon coatings.

Optimizing the Microstructure, Mechanical, and Tribological Properties of Si-DLC Coatings on NBR Rubber for Its Potential Applications

“…The trend in the E value is consistent with the H value, and the minimum E value of ~32 GPa is obtained at the CH 4 flow rate of 60 sccm. Generally, the sp 3 content has considerable influences on the hardness of films, and higher sp 3 content resulted in higher hardness [43]. However, in this work, the sp 3 content is monotonously increased with increasing CH 4 flow rate by XPS and Raman analysis, while the hardness is firstly decreased and then slightly increased, which implies that the sp 3 content cannot be used to explain the change of hardness in this work.…”

Recent Progress on the Tribology of Pure/Doped Diamond-like Carbon Coatings and Ionic Liquids

“…Common technologies used for the deposition of DLC coatings are magnetron sputtering [37], filtered cathodic vacuum arc [38], microwave plasma [39], radio frequency (RF) glow [40], pulsed laser depositing [41], ion beam [42], plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition [43], and a combination of these techniques [44][45][46]. Each technology used for DLC deposition has multiple variables that affect its growth and performance, such as electric power inputs [47,48], distance factors (such as substrate to source distance) [49], and deposition temperatures [50,51]. Various methods, including sputtering, arc deposition, ion beam deposition, and hybrid methods (such as RF + PECVD), are being utilized to increase the sp 3 ratio in DLC coatings [46].…”