Investigation of Substrate Finishing Conditions to Improve Adhesive Strength of DLC Films

This study investigated the effects of grinding wheels on the surface modification properties in Electrolytic In-process Dressing grinding. Three specimens were ground with different abrasive grinding wheels: diamond wheel, SiO2 wheel, and diamond + SiO2 wheel. These three different grinding wheels produced surfaces modified by the diffusion of the abrasive elements. Adhesive strength evaluation tests between the substrate surface and the DLC film were performed using micro-scratch testing. The finished surface ground by the diamond + SiO2 wheel showed the highest adhesive strength due to the physical and chemical properties of the diffused elements. As a result, application of this proposed grinding method to mold fabrication shows considerable promise.