Mechanical Properties and Surface Morphology of Diamond-Like Carbon Films with SiNx Interlayer

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) film has remarkable physical, mechanical, biomedical and tribological properties that make it attractive material for numerous industrial applications needs of advanced mechanical systems. In this study, deposition process of DLC films on Si (100) are performed by direct-current (DC) magnetron sputtering method. The effects of interlayer on the compositions, structures and mechanical properties of DLC films are studied. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies reveal the creation of high uniform surface morphology and low roughness DLC films with SiNx interlayer. For comparison, DLC films with different interlayers are also grown. The Raman spectra are analyzed in order to characterize the film compositions. Indentation test was performed to value the mechanical properties of DLC films. Raman, SEM, and AFM analyses are correlated with the mechanical properties of the DLC films.