Diamond-like carbon (DLC) thin films have been prepared by chemical vapour deposition assisted by electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma of methane at low pressure, with radio frequency (RF) power applied to the substrate. This paper is focused on the plasma diagnostic investigations by mass spectrometry in terms of neutral and ionic populations. Ion energy distribution of different species is also presented and the influence of ECR and/or RF excitations on the energy of ion bombardment is studied. The role of different ionic or neutral species in the growth mechanism and in the formation of nanocrystalline clusters in an amorphous matrix, as observed in a previous study by transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy, is discussed here.
Hydrogen stability has been investigated during wear tests in particular diamond-like carbon films deposited in a dual electron cyclotron resonance radio frequency glow discharge plasma system, at two different substrate bias voltages equal to −30 and −600 V, for series I and series II, respectively. Combined infrared absorption and elastic recoil detection analysis experiments are used to fully characterize the films in their as-deposited state and after wear tests. The results indicate clearly that the total bonded hydrogen content as well as the total hydrogen concentration decrease during wear tests for the two series. Two mechanisms are discussed to explain these results, e.g., the surface contact graphitization due to heating effect and the hydrogen diffusion to the free surface as a result of plastic deformation process.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.