Preparation of ta-C Film by High-Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering Technology and Its Performance Modification

Abstract

The adhesion and friction performance of tetrahedral amorphous carbon film(ta-C film) deposited on the surface of hard alloy affect its application effect in cutting tools and wear-resistant components. In this work, ta-C thin film was prepared based on high power pulse magnetron sputtering technology(HiPIMS), and the modification of ta-C thin film was studied through adjusting C2H2 flow rate. The thickness of the film was observed by SEM, the structure of the film was studied through Raman and XPS, the hardness of the film was characterized through nanoindentation, the adhesion of the film was analyzed by nanoscratches, and the wear resistance of the film was tested through friction and wear tests. Results showed that the introduction of C2H2 gas could effectively improve the structure, hardness, adhesion and wear resistance of ta-C film. Changing the C2H2 flow rate could regulate the performance of ta-C film. As the C2H2 flow rate gradually increased, the various properties of the film showed a trend of first increasing and then decreasing. When the flow rate of C2H2 was 15 cm3/min, the various properties of the film reached excellent results. Specifically, the as-obtained ta-C film had the thickness of 655.9 nm, the hardness of 43.633 GPa and the adhesion force of 19.2 N. Besides, the content of sp3 bond was 70.19%, and the surface of ta-C film was uniform and dense with good performance.

Keywords

• high power impulse magnetron sputtering;ta-c film;c₂h₂;film properties