Hard Si-N-C coatings produced by pulsed glow discharge deposition

Hard Si-N-C films with different concentration of carbon were obtained using pulsed glow discharge deposition (PGD) at 4 kV pulsed voltage. The gases used in this study were silane (SiH4), nitrogen (N-2) and acetylene (C2H2). The FTIR analysis of the films showed the existence of bonds between all components of the ternary system. The absence of separation of the structure into binary components such as silicon nitride and carbon nitride leads to the high hardness of the films. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.