Change for surface performance and layer structure of amorphous carbon-based films containing chromium under pressure annealing

Abstract This paper investigates the impact of pressure on the surface performance and layer structure of amorphous carbon-based films containing chromium through argon annealing and pressure argon annealing. The results indicate that significant changes to the layer structure of amorphous carbon-based films are observed after pressure annealing. After 500°C pressure annealing, although the total thickness of amorphous carbon-based films does not change, the boundary between the sublayers in the film moves down 400 nm. Pressure promotes the diffusion of elements within the sublayers, triggering boundary movement in amorphous carbon-based films during pressure annealing. At the same annealing temperature, the film surface is smoother after annealing in argon compared to annealing in pressure argon. The lower roughness after argon annealing corresponds to a lower content of sp 3 bonds. The surface hardness of the film after annealing in pressure argon is higher than that after annealing in argon, suggesting that pressure slows down the reduction in film hardness by delaying the graphitization process of the film.