Tribological Characteristics of Ultra-thin DLC Films Prepared by Filtered Cathodic Vacuum Arc

Abstract

Recently, to meet the demands of emerging industries, such as magnetic storage devices and micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS), diamond-like carbon (DLC} coatings have been required to be ultra-thin and sufficiently durable. The present study employed frictional force microscopy (FFM) to measure the coefficient of friction (COF) of ultra-thin DLC films, and thus, characterize their mechanical durability. FFM revealed that the COF of DLC films prepared by filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCV A) increased with decreasing thickness. To explain the above tribological behavior, several mechanisms were discussed. The indications are that an increase in contact area plays an important role in the increase ofCOF of ultra-thin DLC films.