Abstract
B4C thin films have been prepared on silicon substrates by DC magnetron sputtering using a sintered boron carbide target. The influences of CH4 addition as a reactive gas on nano–indentation hardness, adhesive strength to the substrate and the friction coefficient of the films are investigated. Nano–indentation studies show that CH4 addition in the film formation process leads to a lower hardness of the B4C thin film. On the other hand, the adhesive strength evaluated by the scratch test is increased significantly by CH4 addition in the film formation process. Furthermore the frictional properties of the film against a steel ball in an ambient atmosphere are improved in this study.
