Surface energy of the plasma treated Si incorporated diamond-like carbon films

• Published in: Diamond and related materials Vol. 16; no. 9; pp. 1732 - 1738
• Main Authors: Roy, Ritwik K., Choi, Heon-Woong, Park, Se-Jun, Lee, Kwang-Ryeol
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.09.2007; Elsevier
• Subjects: Chemical vapor deposition; Chemical vapor deposition (including plasma-enhanced cvd, mocvd, etc.); Contact; Contact angle; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Diamond-like carbon; Diamond-like carbon films; Exact sciences and technology; Fullerenes and related materials; diamonds, graphite; Hydrophobicity; Materials science; Methods of deposition of films and coatings; film growth and epitaxy; Physics; Physics of gases, plasmas and electric discharges; Physics of plasmas and electric discharges; Plasma applications; Silicon; Specific materials; Surface energy; Surface treatment; X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy; Diamond-like carbon; Surface energy; Surface treatment; Silanes; Interface energy; Polarizability; Plasma assisted processing; Surface treatments; Contact angle; Precursor; Benzene; Chemical bonds; Silicon; PECVD; Gallium selenides; X-ray photoelectron spectra
• ISSN: 0925-9635; 1879-0062
• DOI: 10.1016/j.diamond.2007.06.002

Surface energy and surface chemical bonds of the plasma treated Si incorporated diamond-like carbon films (Si-DLC) were investigated. The Si-DLC films were prepared by r.f. plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition using benzene and diluted silane (SiH 4/H 2 = 10:90) as the precursor gases. The Si-DLC films were subjected to plasma treatment using various gases like N 2, O 2, H 2 and CF 4. The plasma treated Si-DLC films showed a wide range of water contact angles from 13.4° to 92.1°. The surface energies of the plasma treated Si-DLC films revealed a high polar component for O 2 plasma treated Si-DLC films and a low polar component for CF 4 plasma treated Si-DLC films. The CF 4 plasma treated Si-DLC films indicated the minimum surface energy. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed that the polarizability of the bonds present on the surface explains the hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity of the plasma treated Si-DLC films. We also suggest that the O 2 plasma treated surface can provide an excellent hemocompatible surface from the estimated interfacial energy between the plasma treated Si-DLC surface and human blood.