Nanometre scale mechanical properties of extremely thin diamond-like carbon films

Abstract

Extremely thin diamond-like carbon (DLC) films are deposited by the filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) and plasma chemical vapour deposition (p-CVD) methods. The target thicknesses of the extremely thin protective DLC films deposited on a Si (100) surface by FCVA and p-CVD are 0·1, 0·4, 0·8, 1·0, 2·0, 5·0 and 100·0 nm. Nanoindentation hardness and nanowear resistance are evaluated by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The nanoindentation hardnesses of 100 nm thick DLC films deposited by FCVA and p-CVD are 57 and 25 GPa respectively. The nanowear test by AFM clarifies the mechanical properties of extremely thin DLC films. The wear depths of 1 and 2 nm thick FCVA-DLC films are extremely shallow. The wear depths of the 1·0 and 2·0 nm thick p-CVD-DLC films exceed the film thicknesses after five sliding cycles. These results reveal differences in the wear resistance of extremely thin DLC films and the superior mechanical properties of FCVA-DLC thin films.     

Relationship between mechanical properties of thin nitride-based films and their behaviour in nano-scratch tests

TiFeN, TiN and TiFeMoN films were deposited on silicon using a dual ion beam system. High resolution Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) has been used in conjunction with progressive load nano-scratch testing and nanoindentation to investigate film behaviour in highly loaded sliding and mechanical properties. Nitrogen ion assistance in TiFeN resulted in compositional changes to the films that created a larger fraction of softer FeN phase. Harder films exhibited higher ratios of hardness to modulus (H/E_r). At low scratching loads, the mechanical properties of the film itself control nano-scratch behaviour and films with higher H/E and lower plasticity indices are more resistant. At higher scratching load, the failure of harder films with H/E_r>0.11 was accompanied by delamination outside the scratch track. It is suggested that hard films with H/E_r≤0.11 possess a more optimum combination of hardness and toughness for applications where they will be exposed to high shearing forces and strain in the film in this case is more readily relieved by intergrain cracking.     

Mechanical properties of thin films and nanofilms

A two-dimensional approach to investigating the stress-strain relationship of films is proposed. The corresponding experimental apparatus and algorithm for investigating the stress-strain relationship of superfine films are described, together with the results.     

Determination of tensile properties and residual stresses of Ni-Co thin films

This paper reports tensile properties and residual stresses of Ni-Co thin films. To measure elastic (and plastic) properties, direct tensile tests using dog-bone type specimens are performed first. Assuming that residual stresses vary linearly through the film thickness, bending and membrane residual stress components are measured using cantilever beam and T-structure beam specimens, respectively. Averaged values of Young’s modulus, yield strength and tensile strength are found to be about 163GPa, 1,700MPa and 2,000MPa, respectively. The membrane and bending residual stress components are found to be about 825MPa and 47MPa, respectively.     

Characterization and mechanical/tribological properties of nano Au-TiO2 composite thin films prepared by a sol-gel process

Nano Au-TiO₂ composite thin films on Si(1 0 0) and glass substrates were successfully prepared with a facile sol-gel process followed by sintering. The morphology and mircostructure of the films were investigated via X-ray diffractometry (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The Au particles, of diameter 14-22 nm depending on the sintering temperatures used, were found to be well dispersed in the TiO₂ matrix, with a small amount of the particles escaped from the film. The surfaces of the films were uniform, compact and crack-free. Hardness and elastic modulus of the films were measured by using the nanoindentation technique. Friction and wear properties were investigated by using a one-way reciprocating tribometer. It was found that the highest hardness and elastic modulus values were obtained for the films prepared with 500 °C sintering temperature. The films displayed superior antiwear and friction reduction performances in sliding against an AISI 52100 steel ball. With 5.0 mol% Au, the friction coefficient was only 0.09-0.10 and the wear life was more than 2000 sliding cycles. The friction coefficient and wear life decreased with increasing sliding speed and load. The failure mechanism of the Au-TiO₂ films was identified to be light scuffing and abrasion. Those films can be potentially applied as ultra-thin lubricating coatings.     

ITO/Ag光子晶体薄膜的制备及性能

考虑材料的电磁屏蔽特性和可见光透过的矛盾,设计了以铝/氧化铟锡(Ag/ITO)为周期的光子晶体薄膜以实现电磁屏蔽和可见光透过的兼容。首先根据电磁屏蔽和可视的双重需求,优化了光子晶体的组份并对其性能进行了研究。接着采用磁控溅射方法制备了以Ag/ITO为周期的光子晶体薄膜,并对光子晶体薄膜的屏蔽和可见光透光率进行了测试和分析。实验结果表明:这种光子晶体薄膜在金属Ag总膜厚大于可见光趋肤深度而远小于微波波段趋肤深度时,在可见光波段的最高透光率高达55%,而在微波x频率段的屏蔽性能最高可达65dB。通过结构设计,使薄膜的可见光透光率曲线与人眼的敏感曲线相吻合。随着每个周期Ag膜层的厚度增加,方阻相应降低,微波屏蔽性能相应提高。随着周期数的增加,薄膜的可见光透光率没有相应降低、屏蔽性能没有相应提高。设计的光子晶体薄膜在30 MHz~18GHz较宽波段的屏蔽性能均大于40dB。这种设计方法为材料的电磁屏蔽和可见光透明兼容开辟了一条新的技术途径。     

应用纳米压痕法测试类金刚石薄膜的力学性能

纳米压痕仪被称为材料机械性质微探针,它借助于加载-卸载过程中压痕对载荷和压入深度的敏感关系,使得测试始终在薄膜材料的弹性限度内,克服了维氏法和努氏法等传统方法引起压痕边缘模糊或者碎裂的缺点,从而正确地、可靠地测试出薄膜材料的硬度和弹性模量等纳米力学性能.试验用微波电子回旋共振等离子体增强化学气相沉积技术,在不同偏压条件下制备三种类金刚石薄膜(DLC膜),用纳米压痕仪测试不同载荷下薄膜的硬度和弹性模量值.试验结果表明,材料的纳米硬度和弹性模量随着载荷的增大而逐渐减小.     

Measurement of thermal properties of thin films up to high temperatures--pulsed photothermal radiometry system and Si-B-C-N films

A new arrangement of two-detector pulsed photothermal radiometry measurement system has been developed enabling temperature dependence measurement of thermal properties of thin films up to high temperatures. Only a few methods are available in this temperature range for thin films' thermal properties investigation, but there is a need for their knowledge in the fields of high-temperature electronics and high-speed machining. The present system enables simultaneous determination of the thin film effusivity, thermal conductivity, and volumetric specific heat in the temperature range from room temperature to 600?°C. The samples are placed in a vacuum chamber. The temperatures in the system were verified by an independent measurement and the system was tested on known bulk samples. Advantages and shortcomings of the method when used at higher temperatures and in the vacuum are described and discussed. Furthermore, Si-B-C-N thin films were studied. These amorphous ceramic materials possess an interesting set of mechanical and thermal properties. In particular, the films of the investigated chemical composition exhibit an excellent thermal stability at temperatures of up to 1700?°C. In the studied temperature range, from 20 to 600?°C, the thermal conductivity increased with increasing temperature from 1.72 to 1.89 W m(-1) K(-1) and volumetric specific heat increased from 2.65 to 3.76 × 10(6) J m(-3) K(-1).     

红外用光学薄膜

介绍了华北光电研究所研制的红外用光学薄膜,内容涉及8μm～11.5μm增透膜及红外滤光片。     

Layered crystal thin films

A rigid peripheral clamp with an annular heater is used to bond layered crystals to grids with a thermoplastic adhesive. The layered crystals are subsequently cleaved with adhesive tape while bonded to the grid. The final layered crystal thin film covering a grid opening is exposed only to room air and is free from adhesive or fluid contamination. The results of preparation of several layered crystals, including muscovite mica, molybdenite, and talc, are described.     

Mechanical properties of amorphous carbon nitride thin films prepared by reactive magnetron sputter-deposition

Nanoindentation hardness and compressive stress in amorphous carbon nitride thin films prepared by unbalanced magnetron sputter-deposition were studied. The coating hardness and compressive stress were found to be strongly dependent on processing parameters such as substrate bias and nitrogen partial pressure. Under optimized deposition conditions, carbon nitride thin films with nanoindentation hardness about 25 GPa have been coated onto Si wafers and M2 steels. A strong correlation between coating hardness and compressive stress in the coating was observed.     

Tribological and mechanical properties of carbon nitride thin coating prepared by ion-beam-assisted deposition

Carbon nitride thin films may become good competitors for diamond-like carbon, due to their high hardness, high wear resistance, and low friction coefficient. At present, there are only a few studies of the effect of CN _x coating hardness and internal stress on its tribological properties, such as coating life and frictional behaviour. This work deals with tribological and mechanical properties of a carbon nitride coating prepared by ion-beam-assisted deposition (IBAD). Friction coefficients in the range of 0.10–0.12 were observed for the best CN _x coatings sliding against silicon nitride under ambient conditions. A nonlinear correlation between coating life and its internal stress and hardness was found.     

Development of a synchrotron biaxial tensile device for in situ characterization of thin films mechanical response

We have developed on the DIFFABS-SOLEIL beamline a biaxial tensile machine working in the synchrotron environment for in situ diffraction characterization of thin polycrystalline films mechanical response. The machine has been designed to test compliant substrates coated by the studied films under controlled, applied strain field. Technological challenges comprise the sample design including fixation of the substrate ends, the related generation of a uniform strain field in the studied (central) volume, and the operations from the beamline pilot. Preliminary tests on 150 nm thick W films deposited onto polyimide cruciform substrates are presented. The obtained results for applied strains using x-ray diffraction and digital image correlation methods clearly show the full potentialities of this new setup.     

Calorimetry of epitaxial thin films

Thin film growth allows for the manipulation of material on the nanoscale, making possible the creation of metastable phases not seen in the bulk. Heat capacity provides a direct way of measuring thermodynamic properties of these new materials, but traditional bulk calorimetric techniques are inappropriate for such a small amount of material. Microcalorimetry and nanocalorimetry techniques exist for the measurements of thin films but rely on an amorphous membrane platform, limiting the types of films which can be measured. In the current work, ion-beam-assisted deposition is used to provide a biaxially oriented MgO template on a suspended membrane microcalorimeter in order to measure the specific heat of epitaxial thin films. Synchrotron x-ray diffraction showed the biaxial order of the MgO template. X-ray diffraction was also used to prove the high quality of epitaxy of a film grown onto this MgO template. The contribution of the MgO layer to the total heat capacity was measured to be just 6.5% of the total addenda contribution. The heat capacity of a Fe(.49)Rh(.51) film grown epitaxially onto the device was measured, comparing favorably to literature data on bulk crystals. This shows the viability of the MgO∕SiN(x)-membrane-based microcalorimeter as a way of measuring the thermodynamic properties of epitaxial thin films.     

Sensitivity analysis of plating conditions on mechanical properties of thin film for MEMS applications

In this paper, we report the detailed investigation into the effects of plating temperature and applied current density upon the mechanical properties of plated nickel film such as Young’s modulus and residual stresses. This method uses the resonance method of atomic force microscope, which does not require specially microfabricated cantilevers and additional experimental set-up. Thin layers of nickel are electroplated onto the tip surface of AFM cantilevers and plating thicknesses were measured at the end of each plating step. The self-deformation of the released AFM cantilever is also measured as a function of the plated nickel thickness, which is converted into the quantitative residual stress by appropriate mechanics. The measured Young’s modulus is as high as that of bulk nickel at low plating temperature and at low applied current density, but drastically drops at high temperature or current density. The dependence of Young’s modulus on the plating thickness is negligible in thin film less than few microns. The residual stress is also a strong function of the process conditions, and decreased with the elevation of the current density and plating temperature. And the intrinsic and extrinsic stresses of plated nickel are separated from the measured residual stress, and correlated with plating conditions. Dependence of the plated thickness on Young’s modulus and residual stress is also considered.     

激光器使用的光学薄膜

介绍了近年来研制的激光器用光学薄膜元器件,内容涉及二极管泵浦激光器使用的光学薄膜、光参量振荡激光器使用的光学薄膜以及激光美容仪使用的光学薄膜。     

BF的光学薄膜

叙述了近年在北京电影机械研究所 ( BF)研发的光学薄膜元器件 ,讨论了其中的技术要点。同时对所采用的离子辅助技术及膜层厚度监控技术进行了讨论     

BF的光学薄膜

叙述了近年在北京电影机械研究所(BF)研发的光学薄膜元器件,讨论了其中的技术要点.同时对所采用的离子辅助技术及膜层厚度监控技术进行了讨论.