Copper/carbon composite films have been deposited on steel and silicon substrates by an hybrid technique combining sputter-deposition of copper and microwave plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition of carbon from argon-methane mixtures of various concentrations.
The composition of films was determined by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS) and energy recoil detection analyses (ERDA). The crystallographic structure of films was identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The dry friction properties of films were investigated by ball-on-disk tribological tests conducted at room temperature in room air.
Copper/carbon films containing 25 to 75 at.% of carbon were produced as the methane concentration in the gas phase was varied from 20 to 100 %. These composite films consisted of copper crystallites and hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) phase. The size of copper crystallites was in the range 2-20 nm. An abrupt increase in carbon content in the films was observed as the methane concentration in the gas phase increased from 60 to 70%.
The tribological properties and mechanical behavior of these Cu/a-C:H composite films are analyzed and discussed as functions of their microstructure, morphology and composition.

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