2012 Volume 7 Issue 4 Pages 234-241
Hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) films were deposited on rubber surface by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (CVD), using a non-equilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma torch. The effects of oxygen, in the deposition atmosphere, on the chemical and mechanical characteristics of a-C:H films were investigated. It was clarified that the amount of carbon atoms combined with oxygen atoms in the a-C:H films increased with the increase of the oxygen content in the deposition atmosphere. On the other hand, surface hardness decreased as the oxygen content increased. As a result, a very low frictional property of a-C:H films was achieved by CVD, using the non-equilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma torch with eliminating oxygen from the deposition atmosphere.
