マイクロ波励起高密度基材近傍プラズマによるTiC膜の作製

To improve wear resistance and adhesion, a hard film of titanium carbide (TiC) is usually prepared by a plasma chemical vapor deposition technique. Microwave sheath-voltage combination plasma (MVP) is a method to generate high-density plasma. In the present study, TiC coatings were prepared by MVP and the processing conditions were examined to reveal the effect on film deposition speed. The TiC coatings were deposited in a reactor using a TiCl4-CH4-H2-Ar gas mixture. The phase identifications, binding energy analysis, coating composition, and friction coefficient were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and ball-on-disk friction tester, respectively. TiC was detected by XRD. As the flow rate of the raw material gas increased, the film deposition rate increased. The maximum deposition rate of the films was 9.0 µm/h. By changing the film deposition conditions, it is considered that higher speed film deposition of TiC will be possible.