Structural and mechanical properties of amorphous Si–C-based thin films deposited by pulsed magnetron sputtering under different sputtering powers

Abstract Amorphous Si–C-based (a-SiC) thin films as protective coating have attracting more and more attentions. But there are contradictory reports in the literature about the effect of sputtering power on the structural and mechanical properties of a-SiC films. Here, the influence of sputtering power on structural and mechanical properties of a-SiC thin films deposited by pulsed magnetron sputtering have been investigated. The results show that as-prepared films have a columnar structure and cauliflower-like pattern at lower sputtering power (100 W). Increasing the sputtering power from 100 W to 180 W, the columnar feature disappears and the thin films become denser. Meanwhile, the density of Si–C bond increases and the sp3/sp2 radio decreases. The hardness (H) and elastic modulus (E) of the a-SiC thin films increase when the sputtering power increases from 100 to 120 W and then their almost keep constant when the sputtering power increases from 120 to 140 W. Further increases in sputtering power, the H and E increase again. The maximum H and E are about 20.2 GPa and 223.1 GPa at 180 W, respectively. Reason for excellent mechanical property is proposed in combination with the theory analysis and experiment results.