Fabrication of diamond-like carbon films using pseudo-spark discharge plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition method

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films have been deposited onto Si substrate from hydrogen dilution methane gas using pseudo-spark discharge plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PSD PECVD) method. It could be observed that the deposition rate of the PSD PECVD system is high, yielding DLC film of thickness 120 µm after 1000 times of discharge. The structure of the DLC films, as analyzed by Raman spectroscopy, indicates D- and G-bands that are typical of amorphous carbon films. The hardness of the deposited DLC films is calculated to be about 7.1 GPa on a Nanoindentation test.