Characterization and analysis of DLC films with different thickness deposited by RF magnetron PECVD

Abstract Diamond‐like carbon (DLC) films have excellent mechanical and chemical properties similar to those of crystalline diamond giving them wide applications as protective coatings. So far, a variety of methods are employed to deposit DLC films. In this study, DLC films with different thicknesses were deposited on Si and glass substrates using RF magnetron PECVD method with C 4 H 10 as carbon source. The bonding microstructure, surface morphology and tribological properties at different growing stages of the DLC films were tested. Raman spectra were deconvoluted into D peak at about 1370 cm −1 and G peak around 1590 cm −1 , indicating typical features of the DLC films. A linear relationship between the film thickness and the deposition time was found, revealing that the required film thickness may be obtained by the appropriate tune of the deposition time. The concentration of sp 3 and sp 2 carbon atoms in the DLC films was measured by XPS spectra. As the films grew, the sp 3 carbon atoms decreased while sp 2 atoms increased. Surface morphology of the DLC films clearly showed that the films were composed of spherical carbon clusters, which tended to congregate as the deposition time increased. The friction coefficient of the films was very low and an increase was also found with the increase of film thickness corresponding to the results of XPS spectra. The scratch test proved that there was good bonding between the DLC films and the substrates.