STRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES OF DLC-N COATINGS OBTAINED BY CATHODIC ARC DEPOSITION WITH ION ASSISTANCE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36773/1818-1112-2025-137-2-50-55Keywords:
diamond-like carbon, cathodic arc deposition, ion-assisted deposition, coating structure, phase composition, hardness, electrical resistanceAbstract
The ability of nitrogen to easily integrate into the diamond structure, replacing carbon atoms, makes it the most suitable element for modifying the mechanical, tribological and electrical properties of diamond-like carbon films and coatings. In this paper, we study the effect of the nitrogen state on the phase composition, structure and properties of diamond-like carbon coatings obtained by cathodic arc deposition. During the deposition of diamond-like carbon coatings, nitrogen was supplied to the vacuum chamber both in molecular form and in ionized form from an ion-beam source. It was found that a significant increase in the nitrogen content in the diamond-like carbon coating is observed in the case of its doping with nitrogen in the ionized state. The presence of nitrogen in the structure of diamond-like carbon leads to the formation of C-N chemical bonds in the configuration with both sp2 and sp3 bonded to carbon atoms. An increase in the energy of nitrogen ions stimulates an increase in the content of sp2 hybridized carbon atoms in the formed coatings with the structure of aromatic rings. It was found that the obtained amorphous coatings DLC-N contain three- and four-coordinated carbon atoms, and the number of four-coordinated carbon atoms and the degree of disorder in three-coordinated carbon atoms depend on the conditions of coating deposition. The obtained coatings have a high hardness of up to 4500 kgf/mm2, which allows them to be classified as superhard materials. The presence of nitrogen in the coating allows changing its specific electrical resistance over a wide range, as well as tribological characteristics under dry friction conditions. The obtained thin-film material is promising for obtaining structures with the required electrical conductivity, including for the manufacture of ionizing radiation detectors.
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