Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T13:13:40.173Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Friction, nanostructure, and residual stress of single-layer and multi-layer amorphous carbon films deposited by radio-frequency sputtering

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 January 2016

Jun Xie  and
Kyriakos Komvopoulos
Jun Xie
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
Kyriakos Komvopoulos*
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: kyriakos@me.berkeley.edu
Get access

Abstract

Single- and multi-layer amorphous carbon (a-C) films of varying thickness were deposited on Si(100) substrates by radio-frequency sputtering in a pure Ar atmosphere. The thickness, roughness, coefficient of friction, and residual stress of the a-C films were measured by profilometry, atomic force microscopy, surface force microscopy, and curvature method, respectively. The through-thickness nanostructure and elemental composition of the films were examined by cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy. The multi-layer a-C films, consisting of alternating ∼10-nm-thick hard and soft a-C layers deposited under 0 and −200 V substrate bias, respectively, were found to exhibit lower roughness, coefficient of friction, and residual stress and slightly higher tetrahedral carbon atom hybridization than single-layer a-C films of similar thickness. The results of this study reveal a strong correlation of the friction characteristics with the surface roughness and nanostructure of single- and multi-layer a-C films.

Keywords

nanostructurethin filmtribology
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 31 , Issue 13: Focus Issue: Advances and Challenges in Carbon-based Tribomaterials , 14 July 2016 , pp. 1857 - 1864
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Ishikawa, J., Takeiri, Y., Ogawa, K., and Takagi, T.: Transparent carbon film prepared by mass-separated negative−carbon-ion-beam deposition. J. Appl. Phys. 61, 2509 (1987).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McKenzie, D.R., Muller, D., and Pailthorpe, B.A.: Compressive-stress-induced formation of thin-film tetrahedral amorphous carbon. Phys. Rev. Lett. 67, 773 (1991).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kovarik, P., Bourdon, E.B.D., and Prince, R.H.: Electron-energy-loss characterization of laser-deposited a-C, a-C:H, and diamond films. Phys. Rev. B 48, 12123 (1993).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lu, W. and Komvopoulos, K.: Dependence of growth and nanomechanical properties of ultrathin amorphous carbon films on radio frequency sputtering conditions. J. Appl. Phys. 86, 2268 (1999).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lifshitz, Y., Lempert, G.D., and Grossman, E.: Substantiation of subplantation model for diamondlike film growth by atomic force microscopy. Phys. Rev. Lett. 72, 2753 (1994).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schwan, J., Ulrich, S., Theel, T., Roth, H., Ehrhardt, H., Becker, P., and Silva, S.R.P.: Stress-induced formation of high-density amorphous carbon thin films. J. Appl. Phys. 82, 6024 (1997).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schwan, J., Ulrich, S., Roth, H., Ehrhardt, E., Silva, S.R.P., Robertson, J., Samlenski, R., and Brenn, R.: Tetrahedral amorphous carbon films prepared by magnetron sputtering and dc ion plating. J. Appl. Phys. 79, 1416 (1996).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ohring, M.: The Materials Science of Thin Films (Academic Press, Boston, MA, 1992).Google Scholar
Lu, W. and Komvopoulos, K.: Implanted argon atoms as sensing probes of residual stress in ultrathin films. Appl. Phys. Lett. 76, 3206 (2000).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lu, W., Komvopoulos, K., and Yeh, S.W.: Stability of ultrathin amorphous carbon films deposited on smooth silicon substrates by radio frequency sputtering. J. Appl. Phys. 89, 2422 (2001).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Srolovitz, D.J. and Goldiner, M.G.: The thermodynamics and kinetics of film agglomeration. JOM 47, 31 (1995).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Friedmann, T.A., Sullivan, J.P., Knapp, J.A., Tallant, D.R., Follstaedt, D.M., Medlin, D.L., and Mirkarimi, P.B.: Thick stress-free amorphous-tetrahedral carbon films with hardness near that of diamond. Appl. Phys. Lett. 71, 3820 (1997).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ferrari, A.C., Kleinsorge, B., Morrison, N.A., Hart, A., Stolojan, V., and Robertson, J.: Stress reduction and bond stability during thermal annealing of tetrahedral amorphous carbon. J. Appl. Phys. 85, 7191 (1999).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kalish, R., Lifshitz, Y., Nugent, K., and Prawer, S.: Thermal stability and relaxation in diamond-like-carbon. A Raman study of films with different sp 3 fractions (ta-C to a-C). Appl. Phys. Lett. 74, 2936 (1999).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sullivan, J.P., Friedmann, T.A., and Baca, A.G.: Stress relaxation and thermal evolution of film properties in amorphous carbon. J. Electron. Mater. 26, 1021 (1997).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chhowalla, M., Yin, Y., Amaratunga, G.A.J., McKenzie, D.R., and Fauenheim, T.: Highly tetrahedral amorphous carbon films with low stress. Appl. Phys. Lett. 69, 2344 (1996).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dai, W. and Wang, A.: Deposition and properties of Al-containing diamond-like carbon films by a hybrid ion beam sources. J. Alloys Compd. 509, 4626 (2011).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lee, C.S., Lee, K.-R., Eun, K.Y., Yoon, K.H., and Han, J.H.: Structure and properties of Si incorporated tetrahedral amorphous carbon films prepared by hybrid filtered vacuum arc process. Diamond Relat. Mater. 11, 198 (2002).Google Scholar
Wang, A-Y., Lee, K.-R., Ahn, J.-P., and Han, J.H.: Structure and mechanical properties of W incorporated diamond-like carbon films prepared by a hybrid ion beam deposition technique. Carbon 44, 1826 (2006).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shi, B. and Meng, W.J.: Intrinsic stresses and mechanical properties of Ti-containing hydrocarbon coatings. J. Appl. Phys. 94, 186 (2003).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhang, P., Tay, B.K., Sun, C.Q., and Lau, S.P.: Microstructure and mechanical properties of nanocomposite amorphous carbon films. J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 20, 1390 (2002).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Logothetidis, S., Charitidis, C., Gioti, M., Panayiotatos, Y., Handrea, M., and Kautek, W.: Comprehensive study on the properties of multilayered amorphous carbon films. Diamond Relat. Mater. 9, 756 (2000).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lu, W., Komvopoulos, K., Patsalas, P., Charitidis, C., Gioti, M., and Logothetidis, S.: Microstructure and nanomechanical and optical properties of single- and multi-layer carbon films synthesized by radio frequency sputtering. Surf. Coat. Technol. 168, 12 (2003).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wan, D. and Komvopoulos, K.: Effect of low-pressure plasma discharge conditions on the thickness and roughness of ultrathin films of amorphous carbon. J. Appl. Phys. 100, 063307 (2006).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Xie, J. and Komvopoulos, K.: Hybridization and tribomechanical properties of ultrathin amorphous carbon films synthesized by radio-frequency low-pressure plasma discharges. Surf. Coat. Technol. 262, 15 (2015).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Patsalas, P., Logothetidis, S., and Kelires, P.C.: Surface and interface morphology and structure of amorphous carbon thin and multilayer films. Diamond Relat. Mater. 14, 1241 (2005).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lu, W. and Komvopoulos, K.: Nanotribological and nanomechanical properties of ultrathin amorphous carbon films synthesized by radio frequency sputtering. J. Tribol. 123, 641 (2001).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wan, D. and Komvopoulos, K.: Transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy analysis of ultrathin amorphous carbon films. J. Mater. Res. 19, 2131 (2004).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wang, N. and Komvopoulos, K.: Incidence angle effect of energetic carbon ions on deposition rate, topography, and structure of ultrathin amorphous carbon films deposited by filtered cathodic vacuum arc. IEEE Trans. Magn. 48, 2220 (2012).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Williams, D.B. and Carter, C.B.: Transmission Electron Microscopy: A Textbook for Materials Science (Springer, New York, 2009), ch. 37; pp. 679–681.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Egerton, R.F.: Electron Energy-Loss Spectroscopy in the Electron Microscope, 3rd ed. (Springer, New York, 2011), ch. 3; pp. 111–229.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cuomo, J.J., Doyle, J.P., Bruley, J., and Liu, J.C.: Sputter deposition of dense diamond-like carbon films at low temperature. Appl. Phys. Lett. 58, 466 (1991).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wang, N. and Komvopoulos, K.: The multilayered structure of ultrathin amorphous carbon films synthesized by filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition. J. Mater. Res. 28, 2124 (2013).CrossRefGoogle Scholar