New mixed sputtering-plasma CVD technique for the deposition of diamondlike films

The purpose of this work is to show that diamond-like carbon (DLC) films of good quality can be deposited by sputtering of a graphite target in an argon-hydrogen atmosphere. The details of the RF diode sputtering system are described. The main features of the deposition process, such as the detection of CH radicals in the plasma, are presented. The advantages of this system are discussed. For example, it joins the easy-to-scale characteristics of the glow discharge process with the independent control of carbon and hydrogen sources found in dual ion beam sputtering. The DLC character of the films are checked measuring the Knupp hardness and the optical energy gap