Tribological properties and adhesive strength of DLC coatings prepared under different substrate bias voltages

An investigation has been carried out to study the effect of high substrate bias voltages on the morphological, mechanical, adhesive and tribological properties of diamond-like carbon (DLC) films. The morphological study shows that the film has a tendency to be rougher, when it is prepared with increased substrate bias voltages. Relatively lower hardness and poor wear resistance (the coefficient of friction remains almost same) are characteristics of the films that are prepared with higher substrate bias voltages. Improved adhesion is observed for the films that are prepared under high substrate bias voltage, and is due to the formation of increased intermixed layer thickness.