Properties of hydrogenated amorphous carbon thin films deposited by plasma-based ion implantation method

Hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) thin films were deposited on silicon and stainless steel (AISI 304) substrates by a plasma-based ion implantation (PBII) method using an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma source with a mirror field and a power supply to apply negative high-voltage pulses and a negative DC bias to the substrate. CH4 gas was used as a carbon source. The plasma was produced from CH4 gas with an ECR power supplier. Before the film deposition, carbon ions were implanted into the substrate surface by applying high-voltage pulses of - 10 kV to form a carbon mixing layer. Tribological behaviors of the films were evaluated using a ball-on-disk friction tester. The a-C:H films with a smooth surface and an ultra-low friction coefficient in high vacuum were formed by applying negative high-voltage pulses of - 2 kV to the substrates with a pretreatment of carbon ion-implantation. The life of a-C:H film was improved by the formation of the carbon-mixing layer. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.