Tribology of Nano-period Multilayer Solid Lubricant Films

Tribology is a key technology of modern triboelements used in advanced industrial fields such as micro machines, large scale integrated circuits manufacturing systems, magnetic recording head-media interfaces and mechanisms for use in space. In these fields, atomic-scale wear and minute fluctuations in friction, so-called the microtribological properties, have influence on equipment performances. Therefore a hard and lubricating film, not the conventional solid lubricant film, is requested to reduce atomic-scale wear and friction force fluctuation. Nanometer period multilayer film was expected to show good solid lubricating property. Tungsten disulfide and molybdenum disulfide multilayer films were deposited, and then tested. Tungsten disulfide and molybdenum disulfide multilayer films were deposited by RF sputtering using two kinds of targets. The multilayer (WS/MoS)n films were deposited by controlling the depositing time for each of the targets. Nanoindentation hardness. The frictional properties of the (WS/MoS)n films were better than those of other films in the ball-on-disk tribotest.