Thickness Dependent Properties of Diamond like Carbon Coatings Prepared by Filtered Cathodic Vacuum Arc

The diamond like carbon (DLC) coatings of thickness 300 nm, 500 nm and 650 nm were deposited on stainless steel substrates by Filtered Cathodic Vacuum Arc system combined with magnetron sputtering The chromium interlayer of 100 nm thickness was deposited prior to the deposition of diamond like carbon coatings. The research work focuses on effect of diamond like carbon coating thickness on microstructural, adhesion strength and tribological properties. The films were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, scanning Electron microscopy, adhesion and wear tests. The Raman studies indicated that the ID decreased with increasing coating thickness. The maximum value of ID/IG was 0.84 for 300 nm diamond like carbon coated stainless steel. The low friction coefficient of 0.12 was obtained for 500 nm coating thickness. Moreover, friction coefficient decreased with increasing coating thickness in initial stages and increased directly proportional to thickness after certain time. For adhesion strength, the higher critical load was found good for 500 nm film compared to other specimens