Mechanical and Tribological Properties of Nitrogenated Diamond-like Carbon Films

Nitrogenated diamond-like carbon films were deposited onto Si substrates by Pulse-DC Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) system. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometer and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) were utilized to characterize bond configuration and chemical state of the films. Tribological properties were tested on a UMT reciprocating tribometer. As the nitrogen content of carbon nitride films increased, the sp2 C content increased and the hardness decreased, while the average coefficient of friction of carbon nitride films increased.