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

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 CH 4 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 sp 2 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.