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Characterization of Hydrogen-Free and Hydrogenated DLC Films

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Carbon Related Materials

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Abstract

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films are an amorphous carbon film with sp2 and sp3 bonding structures of carbons. The DLC films have been used widely in industry owing to have superior properties such as high mechanical hardness and low friction coefficient. The DLC films are divided into the following of four categories: ta-C and a-C films are hydrogen-free DLC with high and low C–C sp3 bonds, respectively, and ta-C:H and a-C:H films are hydrogenated DLC with high and low C–C sp3 bonds, respectively. As the industrial application of DLC films is expanding, it is important to clarify the definition of these DLC film types and to able to easily evaluate the types. There are various DLC deposition methods. Filtered arc deposition (FAD) method which is one of the vacuum arc deposition methods is a few deposition methods can form hydrogen-free DLC films with high hardness. In addition, hydrogenated DLC films can be prepared under the deposition condition in which a hydrogen or a hydrocarbon gas is introduced into the chamber on the FAD system. Various DLC films prepared using T-shape FAD system were characterized by the sp3 fraction and hydrogen content measured using near edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy and Rutherford back scattering/elastic recoil detection analysis, respectively. It was found that the sp3 fraction, nanoindentation hardness, and film density of DLC films have a correlation. Based on these results, DLC films were classified from the film density and hydrogen content.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank T. Toya for modifying the figures in this chapter. This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grants-in-Aid for Science Research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Toyohashi University of Technology, 1-1 Hibarigaoka, Tempaku, Toyohashi, Aichi, 441-8580, Japan

    Toru Harigai, Takahiro Imai & Hirofumi Takikawa

  2. Kanagawa Institute of Industrial Science and Technology, 705-1 Shimoimaizumi, Ebina, Kanagawa, 243-0435, Japan

    Satoru Kaneko

  3. Industrial Technology Center of Okayama Prefecture, 5301 Haga, Okayama, Okayama, 701-1296, Japan

    Shinsuke Kunitsugu

  4. University of Hyogo, 3-1-2 Koto, Kamigori-cho, Ako-gun, Hyogo, 678-1205, Japan

    Masahito Niibe & Kazuhiro Kanda

  5. Itoh Optical Industrial Co., Ltd., 3-19 Miyanarityo, Gamagori, Aichi, 443-0041, Japan

    Masao Kamiya

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  1. Toru Harigai
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  2. Takahiro Imai
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  3. Hirofumi Takikawa
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  5. Shinsuke Kunitsugu
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  7. Kazuhiro Kanda
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  8. Masao Kamiya
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Toru Harigai .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Kanagawa Institute of Industrial Science and Technology, Ebina, Kanagawa, Japan

    Satoru Kaneko

  2. Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan

    Masami Aono

  3. Center for Surface Science and Nanotechnology, University Politehnica of Bucharest, București, Romania

    Alina Pruna

  4. Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Musa Can

  5. Shibaura Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan

    Paolo Mele

  6. Faculty of Engineering, Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey

    Mehmet Ertugrul

  7. Japan Advanced Chemicals, Atsugi, Kanagawa, Japan

    Tamio Endo

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Harigai, T. et al. (2021). Characterization of Hydrogen-Free and Hydrogenated DLC Films. In: Kaneko, S., et al. Carbon Related Materials. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-7610-2_3

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