Mechanical and Optical Properties of DLC Films Prepared by DC-Magnetron Sputtering Using Sintered Diamond Target

Abstract

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) film has outstanding properties, such as high hardness, chemical resistance, and low friction coefficient under various conditions ; however, DLC films deposited by conventional methods still have a problem in low optical transmittance due to sp² carbons remaining in the film. This paper describes sputtering deposition of DLC films using a sintered diamond target, which consist of sp³ carbons. Mechanical and optical properties of the DLC films were discussed in comparison with the DLC films prepared using a graphite target, and it was found that not only the hardness but also the transmittance of the DLC film grown from a sintered diamond target were higher than that for a film grown from a graphite target. These results indicate that the target material has the strong effect on the properties of DLC films, and high-quality DLC films can be prepared using a sintered diamond target.