Influence of Substrates on Initial Growth of Diamond-Like Carbon Films

We investigated the influence of substrate materials on bonding structure of diamond-like carbon (DLC) films, fabricated by filtered cathodic vacuum arc, by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and secondary ion mass spectroscopy. Two kinds of substrate materials, Si and NiFe, were evaluated. The results showed that sp3 ratio of DLC films on NiFe was lower than that on Si by approximately 10%, and implies that the diffusion of Ne and Fe into DLC films inhibits sp3 bonding formation.