不同能级加速过滤电弧沉积四面体非晶碳膜的结构和性能

采用过滤阴极真空电弧技术，通过施加0—2000 V衬底负偏压使沉积离子获得不同能级的入射能量，在单晶硅上制备了四面体非晶碳薄膜.拉曼光谱分析表明，薄膜的结构为非晶sp³骨架中镶嵌着平面关联长度小于1 nm的sp²团簇.原子力显微镜研究表明：在低能级、富sp³能量窗口和次高能级，薄膜中sp³的含量越多，其表面就越光滑，应用sp³浅注入生长机制能够圆满地解释薄膜表面形态与离子入射能量之间的关系；但在高 关键词： 四面体非晶碳 过滤阴极真空电弧 能级     

The electrochemical and mechanical properties of Ti incorporated amorphous carbon films in Hanks’ solution

Ti incorporated amorphous carbon (a-C) films with variant Ti contents were prepared by the unbalanced magnetron sputtering process. Scanning electron microscopy, ultraviolet Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy were used to characterize the microstructure of a-C films. The hardness and lubricated tribological properties were assessed using nanoindentation and ball-on-disk tribometer. As the Ti content in a-C films increases from 0 to 15.2 at.%, the sp³ volume fraction, the internal stress and the hardness of the films decreases gradually, while the disorder of sp² bond increases. The electrochemical tests reveal that the a-C films with lower than 1.5 at.% Ti possess good corrosion resistance in Hanks’ solution, while the a-C film with 15.2 at.% Ti is susceptible to crevice corrosion. The reduced friction of the a-C films is due to the sp² bonded film surface and boundary lubrication of the Hanks’ solution. The a-C film with 3.1 at.% Ti exhibits the best wear resistance in Hanks’ solution among the studied films.     

The microstructure, mechanical and friction properties of protective diamond like carbon films on magnesium alloy

Protective hard coatings deposited on magnesium alloys are believed to be effective for overcoming their poor wear properties. In this work, diamond-like carbon (DLC) films as hard protective films were deposited on AZ91 magnesium alloy by arc ion plating under negative pulse bias voltages ranging from 0 to −200 V. The microstructure, composition and mechanical properties of the DLC films were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and nanoindentation. The tribological behavior of uncoated and coated AZ91 magnesium alloy was investigated using a ball-on-disk tribotester. The results show that the negative pulse bias voltage used for film deposition has a significant effect on the sp³ carbon content and mechanical properties of the deposited DLC films. A maximum sp³ content of 33.3% was obtained at −100 V, resulting in a high hardness of 28.6 GPa and elastic modulus of 300.0 GPa. The DLC films showed very good adhesion to the AZ91 magnesium alloy with no observable cracks and delamination even during friction testing. Compared with the uncoated AZ91 magnesium alloy, the magnesium alloy coated with DLC films exhibits a low friction coefficient and a narrow, shallow wear track. The wear resistance and surface hardness of AZ91 magnesium alloy can be significantly improved by coating a layer of DLC protective film due to its high hardness and low friction coefficient.     

Raman spectroscopy of a-C:H:N films deposited using ECR-CVD with mixed gas

Ultraviolet (UV) and visible Raman spectroscopy were used to study a-C:H:N films deposited using ECR-CVD with a mixed gas of CH₄ and N₂. Small percentage of nitrogen from 0 to 15% is selected. Raman spectra show that CN bonds can be directly observed at 2220 cm⁻¹ from the spectra of visible and UV Raman. UV Raman enhances the sp¹ CN peak than visible Raman. In addition, the UV Raman spectra can reveal the presence of the sp³ sites. For a direct correlation of the Raman parameter with the N content, we introduced the G peak dispersion by combining the visible and UV Raman. The G peak dispersion is directly relative to the disorder of the sp² sites. It shows the a-C:H:N films with higher N content will induce more ordered sp² sites. In addition, upper shift of T position at 244 nm excitation with the high N content shows the increment of sp² fraction of films. That means the films with high N content will become soft and contain less internal stress. Hardness test of films also confirmed that more N content is with less hardness.     

The preparation and evaluation of graded multilayer ta-C films deposited by FCVA method

In this study, a series of graded multilayer ta-C films were investigated by varying their sublayer thickness ratios, in which each film sublayer was prepared at different substrate bias by filtered cathode vacuum arc (FCVA) method. The experimental results show that the graded multilayer film structure can effectively decrease the internal stress level of deposited ta-C film, and meanwhile the graded multilayer ta-C films still have high sp³ fractions. The applied substrate bias voltage and sublayer thickness ratio can apparently influence the microstructure characteristics and internal stress of the graded multilayer ta-C films. The graded multilayer ta-C film has larger sp³ fraction when applying a larger negative substrate bias voltage and having a thicker outer sublayer during the film deposition process. However, the internal stress in the as-deposited film also increases with larger thickness of the outer sublayer, and the optimal ratio of sublayer thicknesses is 1:1:1:1 for graded ta-C film with four sublayers.     

Stress, microstructure and mechanical properties of graded multilayer tetrahedral amorphous carbon films

Tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) films deposited using a filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) system, have high intrinsic stress which limits their application as protective coatings. To reduce the film stress and to improve the adhesion, a multilayer structure is deposited at a gradient substrate negative bias from 1500 V to 80 V. This paper investigates the stress, microstructure and nano-mechanical properties of graded multilayer ta-C film on Si substrates. Compared with that of single-layer films deposited at optimised bias, the graded multilayer film has low stress without a decline in hardness and Young’s modulus. Microstructural evaluation of the multilayer film using visible Raman spectra shows that the average content of the sp³ bonds of the multilayer film remain at a high level. Nanoscratch testing illustrates favorable scratch resistance and good adhesion of the multilayer film. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation confirms the collapse of the film surface along the scratching trace. Finally, deposition on single crystal germanium substrates of a durable coating ∼ 1100 nm thick, and composed of three graded multilayer films is demonstrated. PACS 81.05.Uw; 81.15.Jj; 68.65.Ac; 68.55.Nq; 68.60.Bs     

Role of carbon in the formation of hard Ge1−xCx thin films by reactive magnetron sputtering

We have deposited germanium carbide (Ge_1−xC_x) films on Si(1 0 0) substrate via radio-frequency (RF) reactive magnetron sputtering in a CH₄/Ar mixture discharge, and explored the effects of carbon content (x) on the chemical bonding and hardness for the obtained films. We find that x significantly influences the chemical bonding, which leads to a pronounced change in the hardness of the film. To reveal the relationship between the chemical bonding and hardness, first-principles calculations have been carried out. It is shown that as x increases from 0 to 0.33, the fraction of sp³ C-Ge bonds in the film increases at the expense of Ge-Ge bonds, which promotes formation of a strong covalently bonded network, and thus enhances the hardness of the film. However, as x further increases from 0.33 to 0.59, the fraction of sp³ C-Ge bonds in the film gradually reduces, while that of sp³ C-H and graphite-like sp² C-C bonds increases, which damages the compact network structure, resulting in a sharp decrease in the hardness. This investigation suggests that the medium x (0.17<x<0.40) is most favorable to the preparation of hard Ge_1−xC_x films due to the formation of dominant sp³ C-Ge bonds.     

Structure and elastic recovery of Cr-C:H films deposited by a reactive magnetron sputtering technique

Cr-containing hydrogenated amorphous carbon (Cr-C:H) films were deposited on silicon substrates using a DC reactive magnetron sputtering with Cr target in an Ar and C₂H₂ gas mixture. The composition, bond structure, mechanical hardness and elastic recovery of the films were characterized using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and nano-indentation. The film tribological behavior was also studied by a ball-on-disc tribo-tester. The results showed that the films deposited at low C₂H₂ flow rate (<10 sccm) presented a feature of composite Cr-C:H structure, which consisted of hard brittle chromium carbide phases and amorphous hydrocarbon phase, and thus led to the observed low elastic recovery and poor wear resistance of the films. However, the film deposited at high C₂H₂ flow rate (40 sccm) was found to present a typical feature of polymer-like a-C:H structure containing a large amount of sp³ C-H bonds. As a result, the film revealed a high elastic recovery, and thus exhibited an excellent wear resistance.     

Laser deposition of amorphous diamond films from liquid aromatic hydrocarbons

6 H₅CH₃, C₆H₆, and C₆H₅CH(CH₃)₂) to pulsed visible laser radiation of a copper vapor laser (λ=510.6 nm). The X-ray Auger electron spectroscopy (XAES), reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED), and Raman analysis are employed to characterize the deposited films. The sp³ fraction in deposited films amounts to 60–70% and depends on the precursor. The average film thickness on a glass substrate is about 100 nm. The films show excellent adherence, are transparent in the visible and have microhardness of 50–70 GPa, as measured by nanoindentor. Received: 28 September 1998 / Accepted: 13 January 1999     

Correlation of sp and sp fraction of carbon with electrical, optical and nano-mechanical properties of argon-diluted diamond-like carbon films

In the present work the correlation of electrical, optical and nano-mechanical properties of argon-diluted diamond-like carbon (Ar-DLC) thin films with sp³ and sp² fractions of carbon have been explored. These Ar-DLC thin films have been deposited, under varying C₂H₂ gas pressures from 25 to 75 mTorr, by radio frequency-plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies are performed to estimate the sp³ and sp² fractions of carbon by deconvoluting C 1s core level spectra. Various electrical, optical and nano-mechanical parameters such as conductivity, I-V characteristics, optical band gap, stress, hardness, elastic modulus, plastic resistance parameter, elastic recovery and plastic deformation energy have been estimated and then correlated with calculated sp³ and sp² fractions of carbon and sp³/sp² ratios. Observed tremendous electrical, optical and nano-mechanical properties in Ar-DLC films deposited under high base pressure conditions made it a cost effective material for not only hard and protective coating applications but also for electronic and optoelectronic applications.     

Effects of hydrogen and oxygen on the electrochemical corrosion and wear-corrosion behavior of diamond films deposited by hot filament chemical vapor deposition

A diamond film was deposited on silicon substrate using hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD), and H₂ and O₂ gases were added to the deposition process for comparison. This work evaluates how adding H₂ and O₂ affects the corrosion and wear-corrosion resistance characteristics of diamond films deposited on silicon substrate. The type of atomic bonding, structure, and surface morphologies of various diamond films were analyzed by Raman spectrometry, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Additionally, the mechanical characteristics of diamond films were studied using a precision nano-indentation test instrument. The corrosion and wear-corrosion resistance of diamond films were studied in 1 M H₂SO₄ + 1 M NaCl solution by electrochemical polarization. The experimental results show that the diamond film with added H₂ had a denser surface and a more obvious diamond phase with sp³ bonding than the as-deposited HFCVD diamond film, effectively increasing the hardness, improving the surface structure and thereby improving corrosion and wear-corrosion resistance properties. However, the diamond film with added O₂ had more sp² and fewer sp³ bonds than the as-deposited HFCVD diamond film, corresponding to reduced corrosion and wear-corrosion resistance.     

非平衡磁控溅射制备类石墨碳膜及性能研究

利用中频非平衡磁控溅射技术在单晶硅基底上沉积了类石墨碳膜, 采用Raman光谱、高分辨透射电子显微镜、原子力显微镜分析了薄膜微观结构和表面形貌; 采用纳米压痕仪和CSM摩擦磨损试验机测试了碳膜力学性能和摩擦学性能. 结果表明: 利用中频非平衡磁控溅射技术沉积的碳膜是一种以sp²键合碳为主、结构非晶、硬度适中、应力较低、表面粗糙度较大、摩擦性能优异的薄膜. 脉冲占空比对薄膜微观结构和性能有显著影响, 随着脉冲占空比的增大, Raman光谱D峰和G峰的强度比I_D/I_G先减小后增大, 而硬度随脉冲占空比的增大却呈现出相反的变化趋势, 即先增大后减小; 大气氛围中的摩擦性能测试表明, 本实验制备的薄膜具有优异的抗磨性能(～10^-11 cm³/N^-1. m^-1)和承载能力(～2.5 GPa). 随脉冲占空比的增大, 薄膜摩擦系数变化甚微而磨损率却呈现先显著减小后轻微增大的变化趋势. 类石墨碳膜优异的摩擦学性能主要归因于其独特的结构、较低的内应力及良好的结构稳定性.     

Effect of concurrent electron irradiation on the structure of deposited carbon films

Carbon films 110–180 nm thick are fabricated on nickel substrates by the ion sputtering of graphite with simultaneous electron irradiation and subsequent ion irradiation. Irradiation leads to the formation of bonds in the films in various proportions due to the sp and sp ³ hybridization of orbitals (sp-and sp ³-bonds). Ion irradiation induces, to a greater extent, the formation of sp bonds, while concurrent electron irradiation increases the portion of sp ³ bonds. Electron and ion irradiation increases the film microhardness which reaches a value of 12 GPa. A model of the kinetics of creating carbon allotropes in a deposited film is proposed, which is based on the competition between the formation and breakage of carbon bonds during hybridization of different types. Electron and ion irradiation influence the probabilities of the formation and breakage of carbon bonds in the deposited film. The model provides a qualitative interpretation of the observed content ratios of carbon phases in the deposited film.     

Diamond-like-carbon films produced by magnetically guided pulsed laser deposition

We have compared the quality of carbon films deposited with magnetically guided pulsed laser deposition (MGPLD) and conventional pulsed laser deposition (PLD). In MGPLD, a curved magnetic field is used to guide the plasma but not the neutral species to the substrate to deposit the films while, in conventional PLD, the film is deposited with a mixture of ions, neutral species and clusters. A KrF laser pulse (248 nm) was focused to intensities of 10 GW/cm² on a carbon source target and a magnetic field strength of 0.3 T was used to steer the plasma around a curved arc to the deposition substrate. Electron energy loss spectroscopy was used in order to measure the fraction of sp³ bonding in the films produced. It is shown that the sp³ fraction, and hence the diamond-like character of the films, increased when deposited only with the pure ion component by MGPLD compared with films produced by the conventional PLD technique. The dependence of film quality on the laser intensity is also discussed. Received: 7 December 2000 / Accepted: 20 August 2001 / Published online: 2 October 2001     

微波ECR磁控溅射制备SiNx薄膜的XPS结构研究

利用微波电子回旋共振等离子体增强非平衡磁控溅射法在不同N₂流量下制备无氢SiN_x薄膜.通过X光电子能谱、纳米硬度仪等表征技术,研究了不同N₂流量下制备的SiN_x薄膜的化学键结构、化学键含量、元素配比及各元素沿深度分布.研究结果表明,N₂流量是影响SiN_x薄膜化学键结构、元素配比、元素延深度分布等性质的主要因素.在N_{2关键词： x}')" href="#">SiN_x 磁控溅射 XPS 化学键结构     

类金刚石薄膜力学特性的分子动力学模拟

基于Brenner的REBO势函数,利用分子动力学方法模拟了含氢量不同的类金刚石薄膜的纳米压痕过程,依据得到的加载卸载曲线,计算了薄膜的刚度、硬度以及弹性模量.结果表明:类金刚石薄膜的硬度由氢含量和sp³键含量两个因素共同决定;当薄膜中氢含量小于39% 时,薄膜硬度主要取决于sp³键含量,sp³键越多,硬度越高;当薄膜中氢含量达到52%,薄膜硬度则显著下降,此时氢的作用占据主导地位. 关键词： 类金刚石薄膜 分子动力学模拟 纳米压痕 硬度     

Mechanical properties and platelet adhesion behavior of diamond-like carbon films synthesized by pulsed vacuum arc plasma deposition

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) is an attractive biomedical material due to its high inertness and excellent mechanical properties. In this study, DLC films were fabricated on Ti6Al4V and Si(1 0 0) substrates at room temperature by pulsed vacuum arc plasma deposition. By changing the argon flow from 0 to 13 sccm during deposition, the effects of argon flow on the characteristics of the DLC films were systematically examined to correlate to the blood compatibility. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the films were investigated using Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) surface analysis, a nano-indenter and pin-on-disk tribometer. The blood compatibility of the films was evaluated using in vitro platelet adhesion investigation, and the quantity and morphology of the adherent platelets was investigated employing optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy.The Raman spectroscopy results showed a decreasing sp³ fraction (an increasing trend in I_D/I_G ratio) with increasing argon flow from 0 to 13 sccm. The sp³:sp² ratio of the films was evaluated from the deconvoluted XPS spectra. We found that the sp³ fraction decreased as the argon flow was increased from 0 to 13 sccm, which is consistent with the results of the Raman spectra. The mechanical properties results confirmed the decreasing sp³ content with increasing argon flow. The Raman D-band to G-band intensity ratio increased and the platelet adhesion behavior became better with higher flow. This implies that the blood compatibility of the DLC films is influenced by the sp³:sp² ratio. DLC films deposited on titanium alloys have high wear resistance, low friction and good adhesion.     

Investigation of microstructure and?photo-magnetic properties of?sulfur-doped DLC nanocomposite films by?electrochemical method

Sulfur-doped DLC nanocomposite films have been successfully deposited by the electrochemical method using the mixture of methanol and thiofuran as the precursor at ambient atmospheric pressure. In contrast to DLC film, the effects of sulfur incorporation on the microstructural transformation and properties of sulfur-doped DLC nanocomposite films were investigated in detail in terms of atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectrum and photoluminescence and magnetic tests. The experimental results showed that the unexpected organic molecular structure was formed like sulfone or thiols in sulfur-doped DLC nanocomposite films, and the concentration of sulfur in films was readily manipulated by the volume ratio of thiofuran to methanol. Meanwhile, the sp³-hybridized carbon content gradually decreased in films as the volume of thiofuran increased. Furthermore, sulfur-doped DLC nanocomposite films showed the monochromatic photoluminescence performance with a wide band centered at 510 nm, which could be attributed to carrier localization within an increasing sp² clusters and the defects along with the sulfur doping. Particularly, ferro-like magnetic performance of sulfur-doped DLC nanocomposite film might originate from the magnetic moment of localized sp² clusters with different charged carriers near the Fermi level after sulfur incorporation.     

Electron structure investigations of homogeneous hydrocarbon films formed in plasma conditions of T-10 tokamak

Electron structure investigations of smooth hydrocarbon thick films with a high atomic D/C ratio, redeposited from deuterium plasma discharge onto the vacuum vessel regions of the T-10 tokamak, are continued. For the first time, the investigations of both film sides and in a valence band region were performed by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, combined with “conventional” measurements of survey spectra, C1s, O1s core levels, and by using Auger X-ray electron spectroscopy for sp ²/sp ³ ratio determination. The distinctions of electron structure of both sides of flakes which were noticed earlier using another techniques, were found, differing from the structure of thin films deposited in cleaning discharges of a low-temperature plasma. It is shown how these differences are connected with different processes of film deposition in tokamaks.     

氩离子轰击对四面体非晶碳膜内应力和摩擦系数影响的研究

利用磁过滤真空阴极电弧技术制备了sp³键大于80%的四面体非晶碳(ta-C)薄膜, 通过冷阴极离子源产生keV能量的氩离子轰击ta-C薄膜,研究了氩离子轰击能量对ta-C薄膜结构, 内应力以及耐磨性的影响.通过X射线光电子能谱和原子力显微镜研究了氩离子轰击对薄膜结构 与表面形貌的改性,研究表明,氩离子轰击诱导了ta-C薄膜中sp³键向sp²键的转化, 并且随着氩离子轰击能量的增大,薄膜中sp²键的含量逐渐增多, 薄膜内应力随着氩离子轰击能量的增大逐渐减小.氩离子轰击对薄膜的表面形貌有较大影响, 在薄膜表面形成刻蚀坑,并且改变了薄膜的表面粗糙度,随着氩离子轰击能量的增大, 薄膜的表面粗糙度也会逐渐增大.通过摩擦磨损仪的测试结果,氩离子轰击对薄膜的初始摩擦系数影响较大, 但是对薄膜的稳定摩擦系数影响较小,经过氩离子轰击前后的ta-C薄膜的摩擦系数为0.1左右, 并且具有优异的耐磨性.