Effect of dopants (F, Si) material on the structure and properties of hydrogenated DLC film by plane cathode PECVD

Abstract

DLC film is widely used in industry and the DLC films with the doping of different element exhibit relatively large differences of their structures and properties. Thus, it is extremely essential to understand clearly the structure and property of the each DLC film for its application. The Si (Si&H-DLC), F (F&H-DLC), F and Si (F&Si&H-DLC) doped hydrogenated DLC (H-DLC) film were deposited by the plane cathode plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition to study its differences. Results have shown that the doping of Si element is beneficial to increase the sp3-C fraction and the hydrogen content of the H-DLC film, and the doping of F element increase the sp2-C clusters. Besides, the H-DLC film possesses the best mechanical properties and wear resistance, however, it exhibits the highest friction coefficient. The friction coefficients of the F&Si&H-DLC and Si&H-DLC films are very low, exhibiting that the doping of Si element can greatly reduce the friction coefficient of the H-DLC film. In addition, compared with the Si&H-DLC and F&H-DLC film, the F&Si&H-DLC film possesses the better corrosion resistance, which is related to the highest hydrogen content. Consequently, this study can help us choose suitable DLC films for different industrial environments.