The Effects of Magnetic Field on the Properties of Diamond-Like Carbon Films Produced by High-Density Helicon Wave Plasma

Abstract

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films were grown on Si substrates by high-density helicon wave plasma (HWP) generated under low pressure, with the help of CH4 as an important single-source precursor. The influence of magnetic field ( ${B}_{0}$ : 1200–2400 Gs) on the film structure, morphology, composition, and mechanical properties has been studied. The high deposition rate of the films exhibits a maximum of 800 nm/min, which is contributed by the high-density plasma generation of HWP. By the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis, the as-deposited DLC film is composed mainly of sp2 C-C. The DLC film deposited at ${B}_{0} =2400$ Gs exhibits that the friction coefficient reaches its minimum value of $5 \times 10^{-3}$ , with small surface roughness (root mean square (RMS) ~ 10 nm). Considering that ${B}_{0}$ can be easily controlled, this article opens up a new approach to achieve ultralow friction coefficient DLC films with a high deposited rate at room temperature.