Mechanical Properties of Hydrogen Free Diamond-Like Carbon Thin Films Deposited by High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering with Ne

Hydrogen-free diamond-like carbon (DLC) thin films are attractive for a wide range of industrial applications. One of the challenges related to the use of hard DLC lies in the high intrinsic compressive stresses that limit the film adhesion. Here, we report on the mechanical and tribological properties of DLC films deposited by High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HiPIMS) with Ne as the process gas. In contrast to standard magnetron sputtering as well as standard Ar-based HiPIMS process, the Ne-HiPIMS lead to dense DLC films with increased mass density (up to 2.65 g/cm3) and a hardness of 23 GPa when deposited on steel with a Cr + CrN adhesion interlayer. Tribological testing by the pin-on-disk method revealed a friction coefficient of 0.22 against steel and a wear rate of 2 × 10−17 m3/Nm. The wear rate is about an order of magnitude lower than that of the films deposited using Ar. The differences in the film properties are attributed to an enhanced C ionization in the Ne-HiPIMS discharge.