Preparation of Diamond-like Carbon Films on the Surface of Ti Alloy by Electro-deposition

In this paper, diamond-like carbon (DLC) films were deposited on Ti alloy by electro-deposition. DLC films were brown andcomposed of the compact grains whose diameter was about 400 nm. Examined by XPS, the main composition of the filmswas carbon. In the Raman spectrum, there were a broad peak at 1350 cm^(-1) and a broad peak at 1600 cm^(-1), which indicatedthat the films were DLC films.

Influence of Microwave Power on the Properties of Hydrogenated Diamond-Like Carbon Films Prepared by ECR Plasma Enhanced DC Magnetron Sputtering

Electron cyclotron resonance （ECR） plasma was applied to enhance the direct current magnetron sputtering to prepare hydrogenated diamond-like carbon （H-DLC） films. For different microwave powers, both argon and hydrogen gas are introduced separately as the ECR working gas to investigate the influence of microwave power on the microstructure and electrical property of the H-DLC films deposited on P-type silicon substrates. A series of characterization methods including the Raman spectrum and atomic force microscopy are used. Results show that, within a certain range, the increase in microwave power affects the properties of the thin films, namely the sp3 ratio, the hardness, the nanoparticle size and the resistivity all increase while the roughness decreases with the increase in microwave power. The maximum of resistivity amounts to 1.1×10^9 Ω.cm. At the same time it is found that the influence of microwave power on the properties of H-DLC films is more pronounced when argon gas is applied as the ECR working gas, compared to hydrogen gas.

Structure and Mechanical Performance of Nitrogen Doped Diamond-like Carbon Films

Nitrogen doped diamond-like carbon （DLC：N） films were prepared by electron cyclotron resonance chemical vapor deposition （ECR-CVD） on polycrystalline Si chips. Film thickness is about 50 nm. Auger electron spectroscopy （AES） was used to evaluate nitrogen content, and increasing N2 flow improved N content from 0 to 7.6%. Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS） analysis results reveal CN-sp^3C and N-sp^2C structure. With increasing the N2 flow, sp^3C decreases from 73.74% down to 42.66%, and so does N-sp^3C from 68.04% down to 20.23%. The hardness decreases from 29.18 GPa down to 19.74 GPa, and the Young＇s modulus from 193.03 GPa down to 144.52 GPa.

Fabrication of Diamond-like Carbon Films by Ion Assisted Middle Frequency Unbalanced Magnetron Sputtering

Diamond-like carbon （DLC） films are deposited by the Hall ion source assisted by the mid-frequency unbalanced magnetron sputtering technique. The effects of the substrate voltage bias, the substrate temperature, the Hall discharging current and the argon/nitrogen ratio on the DLC film＇s performance were studied. The experimental results show that the film＇s surface roughness, the hardness and the Young＇s modulus increase firstly and then decrease with the bias voltage incrementally increases. Also when the substrate temperature rises, the surface roughness of the film varies slightly, but its hardness and Young＇s modulus firstly increase followed by a sharp decrease when the temperature surpassing 120 ℃. With the Hall discharging current incrementally rising, the hardness and Young＇s modulus of the film decrease and the surface roughness of the film on 316L stainless steel firstly decreased and then remains constant.

Characterization and Application of Diamond-like Carbon Films

Diamond like carbon films were synthesized by the pulsed laser deposition method under a magnetic filed. The magnetic field was used to enhance the hardness of the films. Analysis with transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy were carried out to characterize the films. As a protective coating, the film was deposited on porous silicon. The influence of the coating on the photoluminescence properties of porous silicon was studied.

Irradiation Effect of γ Rays on Diamond-Like Carbon Films

Diamond like carbon films, prepared by RF glow discharge on glass substrates, were irradiated by γ rays. The as deposited and irradiated films were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, electrical resistivity, and infrared transmittance. It is shown that the irradiation of the γ rays can lead to the breaking of SP 3 C H and SP 2 C H bonds, slight increasing of SP 3 C C bonds, and induced hydrogen recombination with H 2 molecules, subsequently diffusing to the surface of the films. When the γ rays irradiation dose reached 10×10 4 Gy, the numbers of SP 3 C H bonds was decreased by about 50%, the resistivity of irradiated DLC films was increased, and the diamond like character of the films became more obvious. The structure of DLC films was modified when irradiated by γ rays. The irradiation mechanisms are briefly discussed.

Surface properties of diamond-like carbon films prepared by CVD and PVD methods

Diamond-like carbon （DLC） films have been deposited using three different techniques： （a） electron cyclotron resonance——plasma source ion implantation, （b） low-pressure dielectric barrier discharge, （c） filtered——pulsed cathodic arc discharge, The surface and mechanical properties of these films are compared using atomic force microscopebased tests. The experimental results show that hydrogenated DLC films are covered with soft surface layers enriched with hydrogen and sp^3 hybridized carbon while the soft surface layers of tetrahedral amorphous carbon （ta-C） films have graphite-like structure, The formation of soft surface layers can be associated with the surface diffusion and growth induced by the low-energy deposition process. For typical CVD methods, the atomic hydrogen in the plasmas can contribute to the formation of hydrogen and sp^3 hybridized carbon enriched surface layers, The high-energy ion implantation causes the rearrangement of atoms beneath the surface layer and leads to an increase in film density. The ta-C films can be deposited using the medium energy carbon ions in the highly-ionized plasma.

Effects of nitrogen content on structure and electrical properties of nitrogen-doped fluorinated diamond-like carbon films

Nitrogen-doped fluorinated diamond-like carbon(FN-DLC)films were prepared on single crystal silicon substrate by radio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition(RF-PECVD)under different deposited conditions with CF4,CH4 and nitrogen as source gases.The influence of nitrogen content on the structure and electrical properties of the films was studied.The films were investigated in terms of surface morphology,microstructure,chemical composition and electrical properties.Atomic force microscopy(AFM)results revealed that the surface morphology of the films became smooth due to doping nitrogen.Fourier transform infrared absorption spectrometry(FTIR)results showed that amouts of C=N and C≡N bonds increased gradually with increasing nitrogen partial pressure r(r=p(N2)/p(N2+CF4+CH4)).Gaussian fit results of C 1s and N 1s in X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS)showed that the incorporation of nitrogen presented mainly in the forms ofβ-C3N4 and a-CNx(x=1,2,3)in the films.The current-voltage(I-V)measurement results showed that the electrical conductivity of the films increased with increasing nitrogen content.

Structural characteristics of surface-functionalized nitrogen-doped diamond-like carbon films and effective adjustment to cell attachment

Nitrogen-doped diamond-like carbon （DLC：N） films prepared by the filtered cathodic vacuum arc technology are functionalized with various chemical molecules including dopamine （DA）, 3-Aminobenzeneboronic acid （APBA）, and adenosine triphosphate （ATP）, and the impacts of surface functionalities on the surface morphologies, compositions, microstructures, and cell compatibility of the DLC：N films are systematically investigated. We demonstrate that the surface groups of DLC：N have a significant effect on the surface and structural properties of the film. The activity of PC12 cells depends on the particular type of surface functional groups of DLC：N films regardless of surface roughness and wettability. Our research offers a novel way for designing functionalized carbon films as tailorable substrates for biosensors and biomedical engineering applications.

A Study of Diamond-Like Carbon Thin Films Prepared by Microwave Plasma Chemical Vapour Deposition

In order to deposit good films, we need to study the uniformity of plasma density and the plasma density under different gas pressures and powers. The plasma density was diagnosed by a Langmuir probe. The optical emission spectroscopy （OES） of CH4 and H2 discharge was obtained with raster spectroscopy, with characteristic peaks of H and CH achieved. Diamond-like carbon films were achieved based on the study of plasma density and OES and characterized by atomic force microscope （AFM）, X-ray diffraction instrument （XRD）, Raman spectroscope and profiler.

STUDY OF RAY IRRADIATION ON DIAMOND-LIKE CARBON FILMS

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films have been deposited on glass substrates usingradio-frequency (rf) plasma deposition method. Gamma -ray, ultraviolet (UV) ray were used toirradiate the DLC films. Raman spectroscopy and infrared (IR) spectroscopy were use to characterizethe changing characteristics of SP^3 C-H bond and hydrogen content in the films due to theirradiations. The results show that, the damage degrees induced by the UV ray on the SP^3 C-H bondsare much stronger than that by the gamma -ray. When the irradiation dose of gamma -ray reaches 1 OX10^4 Gy, the SP^3 C-H bond reduces about 50 percent in number. The square electrical resistance ofthe films is reduced due to the irradiation of UV ray and this is caused by severe oxidation of thefilms. By using the results on optical gap of the films and the fully constrained network theory,the hydrogen content in the as-deposited films is estimated to be l0-25at. percent.

Mechanism of high growth rate for diamond-like carbon films synthesized by helicon wave plasma chemical vapor deposition

A high growth rate fabrication of diamond-like carbon（DLC）films at room temperature was achieved by helicon wave plasma chemical vapor deposition（HWP-CVD）using Ar/CH4gas mixtures.The microstructure and morphology of the films were characterized by Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy.The diagnosis of plasma excited by a helicon wave was measured by optical emission spectroscopy and a Langmuir probe.The mechanism of high growth rate fabrication for DLC films by HWP-CVD has been discussed.The growth rate of the DLC films reaches a maximum value of 54μm h^-1at the CH4flow rate of 85 sccm,which is attributed to the higher plasma density during the helicon wave plasma discharge.The CH and Hαradicals play an important role in the growth of DLC films.The results show that the Hαradicals are beneficial to the formation and stabilization of C=C bond from sp^2to sp^3.

Study of relationship between structure and transmittance of diamond-like carbon (DLC) films

In this paper, the transparent hard diamond-like carbon (DLC) films were deposited on glass substrate by magnetic confined radio-frequency plasma chemical vapor deposition. The structure of films was studied by Raman spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), the transmittance of films by Spectrophotometer. The mechanism of the influence of films structure on transmittance of the films was discussed. The results show that the thickness of films was lower than 100nm, and the transmittance was over 90% in 380-780 nm region. Discussion in theory on the influence of film structure on transmittance was correspondence to experiment results.

Plasma-enhanced Deposition of Nano-Structured Carbon Films

By pre-treating substrate with different methods and patterning the catalyst, selective and patterned growth of diamond and graphitic nano-structured carbon films have been realized through DC Plasma-Enhanced Hot Filament Chemical Vapor Deposition (PE-HFCVD). Through two-step processing in an HFCVD reactor, novel nano-structured composite diamond films containing a nanocrystalline diamond layer on the top of a nanocone diamond layer have been synthesized. Well-aligned carbon nanotubes, diamond and graphitic carbon nanocones with controllable alignment orientations have been synthesized by using PE-HFCVD. The orientation of the nanostructures can be controlled by adjusting the working pressure. In a Microwave Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (MW-PECVD) reactor, high-quality diamond films have been synthesized at low temperatures (310℃-550℃) without adding oxygen or halogen gas in a newly developed processing technique. In this process, carbon source originates from graphite etching, instead of hydrocarbon. The lowest growth temperature for the growth of nanocrystalline diamond films with a reasonable growth rate without addition of oxygen or halogen is 260℃.

Optical Properties of Tetrahedral Amorphous Carbon Films and Their Potential for Lab-on-a-Chip

In this study, tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) films with thicknesses between several 100 nm and several micrometers have been deposited onto polished tungsten carbide and steel substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) using an excimer laser (248 nm wavelength). We investigate the optical properties (e.g. the refractive index (n) and extinction coefficient (k) in the visible and near-infrared wavelength range) of these layers in dependence of the used laser ablation fluence on the target. It is shown that n of ~2000 nm thick ta-C films can be tuned, depending on the sp3-content, between n = 2.5 and 2.8 at a wavelength of 632 nm. Besides of this k reduces with the sp3-content and is as low as 0.03 at sp3-contents of more than 75%. We proof that this gives the opportunity to prepare coating with tailored optical properties. Furthermore, it is shown that the ta-C films have low background fluorescence in the wavelengths range of 380 - 750 nm, which make this thin films attractive for certain optical, medical and biotechnological applications. We present for the first time that one possible application is the use in Lab-on-a-Chip-systems (LOC). Within these systems, the ultrasensitive detection of fluorescence markers and dyes is a challenge. In order to increase the signal-to-noise-ratio, a setup was developed, that used the specific optical properties of ta-C films produced by PLD. We used the ta-C film as an integrated reflector that combined low background fluorescence, a low reflectivity at the excitation wavelength and the high reflectivity at the emission wavelength. We prove that this setup improves the detection of fluorescence photons.

Effect of Fe ion implantation on tribological properties and Raman spectra characteristics of diamond-like carbon film

Fe ions in the fluence range of 2×1015 to 1×1017 cm-2 were implanted into diamond-like carbon (DLC) thin film of 100 nm thick, which were deposited on silicon substrate by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Effects of Fe ion implantation on microstructure and friction coefficient of the DLC were studied. With increasing Fe ion fluence, friction coefficient of the DLC film increased as compared with that of DLC without implantation, and then decreased. The Raman spectra characteristics also show a dependence on the Fe ion fluence. With increasing the ion fluence, the sp2 bonding increased in the DLC film, resulting in the decrease of friction coefficient of the film af- ter implantation. Substantial surface roughness was also measured.

STUDY ON DIAMOND LIKE CARBON THIN FILM BY FILTERED VACUUM ARC DEPOSITION

Diamond like carbon thin film is successfully deposited on silicon, titanium and stainless steel substrate at low temperature in a filtered vacuum arc deposition system. Arc discharges are established on a graphite cathode in the system with a toroidal macroparticle filter. A cathode activating magnetic field and a filtered magnetic field to collimate the plasma beam are applied. Ion current convected by the plasma beam is measured with a negatively biased probe. It is shown that the magnetic field of the coils located on the plasma duct has a strong influence on cathode spot behavior. Orthogonally the designed experiments are carried out to optimize the deposition parameters of arc stability. Finally, the diamond like carbon thin films are studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Raman spectrum.

掺硅类金刚石薄膜的HiPIMS-MFMS共沉积制备及其高温摩擦学行为研究

元素掺杂是提高类金刚石(DLC)薄膜高温耐摩擦性能的重要途径.本文中采用高功率脉冲磁控溅射(HiPIMS)和中频磁控溅射(MFMS)复合技术在304不锈钢表面沉积具有不同Si含量的掺硅类金刚石(Si-DLC)薄膜,利用原子力显微镜、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)、拉曼光谱(Raman)、纳米压痕和UMT-TriboLab摩擦试验机等系统分析了Si含量对Si-DLC薄膜的结构、力学性能及不同温度下的摩擦学性能的影响,重点探讨了Si-DLC薄膜在高温下摩擦磨损机制.结果表明:Si-DLC薄膜中Si以四面体碳化硅的形式随机分布于无定型DLC基体中,增强薄膜的韧性.同时,Si掺杂使DLC薄膜向金刚石结构发生转变并显著提高了薄膜的硬度.摩擦结果表明,当Si原子分数为15.38%时,Si-DLC薄膜在常温下的摩擦系数和磨损率最低,同时该薄膜在300℃下能维持在较低的摩擦系数(约0.1),主要是由于Si-DLC薄膜中的四面体碳化硅结构能够提升sp^(3)键的稳定性.此外,Si-DLC薄膜中的Si在高温摩擦时会在对偶球表面形成1层SiO_(2)保护层,减缓Si-DLC薄膜和过渡层的氧化,使得薄膜能够在高温下持续润滑.当Si含量进一步增加时,Si-DLC薄膜的力学性能显著提升,然而其摩擦学性能发生明显降低,主要是当DLC薄膜中的硅含量过高时,大气环境下的高温摩擦使得薄膜内的氧化加剧,过量氧化硅的生成破坏了薄膜结构从而导致摩擦性能下降.

Ti-DLC薄膜压阻性能及载流子输运行为研究

围绕压阻传感器领域对高性能类金刚石(Diamond Like Carbon,DLC)薄膜压阻敏感材料的需求,针对金属掺杂DLC存在的载流子输运行为和实际多工况(如温度、湿度等)下压阻性能不明的问题,本工作以Ti-石墨复合拼接靶为靶材,采用高功率脉冲磁控溅射技术,高通量制备出4种Ti含量(原子分数为0.43%~4.11%)的Ti掺杂类金刚石(Ti-DLC)薄膜,研究了Ti含量对薄膜组分结构、电学性能、变湿度环境下压阻性能的影响规律。结果表明:Ti含量(原子分数)在0.43%~4.11%范围内,掺杂Ti原子均以固溶形式均匀镶嵌于非晶碳网络中,Ti-DLC薄膜电学行为表现为典型半导体特性,在200~350 K温度范围内,薄膜电阻率均随温度升高而降低。载流子传导机制在200~270 K内为Mott型三维变程跳跃传导,在270~350 K范围内则为热激活传导。Ti-DLC薄膜压阻系数(Gauge Factor,GF)最大值为95.1,在20%~80%相对湿度范围内,所有样品GF均随湿度增加而增大,这可能是引入的固溶Ti原子缩短了导电相之间的平均距离,同时吸附表面水分子导致电阻变化。