WEAR-RESISTANT FLUORINATED DIAMOND-LIKE CARBON-FILMS

Fluorinated diamondlike carbon (FDLC) films have been deposited on Si wafers by rf plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition, under a variet y of conditions. The films have been characterized by FTIR and index o f refraction measurements, RBS and FRES analysis for determination of film composition, and stress measurements from the bending of the wafe rs by the deposited films. Friction and wear measurements have been pe rformed using pin-on-flat and pin-on-disk testers in ambient air, at m aximum Hertzian contact pressures ranging from 320 to 1100 MPa. By adj usting the deposition parameters, the properties of the FDLC films cou ld be changed from soft films, with no significant wear resistance, to films containing more than 20% F and having wear resistance comparabl e to unfluorinated DLC. The tribological properties of the FDLC films are discussed in relation to their physical properties, as determined by the deposition conditions. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.