Uniform coating of thick DLC film on three-dimensional substrates

• Published in: Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section B, Beam interactions with materials and atoms Beam interactions with materials and atoms, 2003-05, Vol.206 (Complete), p.696-699
• Main Authors: Nishimura, Y., Ohkawa, R., Oka, H., Akamatsu, H., Azuma, K., Yatsuzuka, M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Diamond-like carbon (DLC); Hybrid process; Plasma CVD; Plasma-based ion implantation; Three-dimensional coating
• ISSN: 0168-583X; 1872-9584
• DOI: 10.1016/S0168-583X(03)00830-9

Uniform coating of the thick diamond-like carbon (DLC) on the cylindrical pipe, triangular prism and trench of aluminum alloy was studied with the hybrid processing system of plasma-based ion implantation and deposition. In this system, the RF pulse for plasma generation was applied to a substrate with the high-voltage pulse for ion implantation through a joint matching network and a single electrical feed-through. The DLC film with the thickness of a few μm was prepared using the toluene gas (C 6H 5CH 3) and the negative high-voltage pulse (−10 to −20 kV, 2–4 μs and 1–4 kHz). The DLC film thickness profile estimated from the cross-sectional SEM observation was extremely uniform on the surfaces of cylindrical pipe and triangular pole. For the trench with the aspect ratio of 1, the film thickness of top surface was about 1.3 times larger than that of bottom and 1.9 times than the sidewall.