Abstract
Intrinsic stress in the amorphous carbon films prepared by the filtered cathodic vacuum arc technique is relatively high and limits the thickness of the film. Effective stress reduction is obtained by depositing the film in conjunction with high substrate pulse biasing. Stress reduction is also attained, by incorporating a small percentage of metal ions in the films. In the present study, the properties of amorphous carbon films prepared with and without aluminium incorporation (a-C and a-C:Al) under substrate pulse biasing conditions at different frequencies are compared. The a-C:Al films exhibit deposition rates and intrinsic stress lower than pure a-C films. A stress reduction of approximately 85% can easily be obtained, for a-C films at higher pulse frequencies. The stress is further lowered by Al incorporation, but by sacrificing the smoothness, hardness and wear resistance.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 2032-2036 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Diamond and Related Materials |
Volume | 12 |
Issue number | 10-11 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2003 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) technique
- Pulse frequency
- Pulsed biasing
- Pure and Al-containing amorphous carbon (a-C and a-C:Al) films
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Chemistry(all)
- Mechanical Engineering
- Physics and Astronomy(all)
- Materials Chemistry
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering