Tribological evaluation of Si–O containing diamond-like carbon films

The wear behavior of Si–O containing diamond-like carbon (DLC) films was studied. The films were deposited by conventional plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition system using methane and tetraethylorthosilicate as precursors of C and Si, respectively. The tribological properties of Si–O containing DLC films were evaluated using a ball-on-plate type tribometer and the wear factor of Si–O containing DLC films was calculated by measuring the wear track volume. A relationship between tribological and mechanical properties of the films was investigated. The microstructural observation on the worn surface of the films after the wear test was made. The micrographs of the wrinkling surface and buckling coating layer in the pure DLC film indicate that the film shows a relatively poor adhesion compared with the Si–O containing DLC film. This implies that the Si–O containing DLC film has a relatively good adhesion between the film and substrate.