Abstract
W x C y thin films with different compositions were studied in order to correlate their properties with the thin-film composition and chemical bonding of C and W atoms. Three W x C y thin films with C concentrations in the range 40–80 at% were deposited on WC–Co substrates by the plasma beam sputtering technique. The composition of the thin films and chemical states of elements were analysed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) depth profiling. The C and W concentrations in the films were quantified using XPS intensities from a WC–Co substrate with a known composition. The C1s peaks in the high energy resolution XPS spectra of thin films allowed identification of the WC phase and the amorphous carbon phase as a function of the film composition. The results show that the amorphous carbon a-C phase is present in those films with composition x< y. The measured hardness of the films decreases with a decrease of the WC concentration.
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