Tribological properties of sputtered boron carbide coating and the effect of $CH_4$ reactive component of processing gas

Boron carbide thin coatings were deposited on silicon wafers by DC magnetron sputtering using a $B_4C$ target with As as processing gas. Various amounts of methane gas $(CH_4)$ were added in the deposition process to better understand their influence on tribological properties of the coatings. Reciprocating wear tests employing an oscillating friction wear tester were performed to investigate the tribological behaviors of the coatings in ambient environment. The chemical characteristics of the coatings and worn surfaces were studied using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES). It revealed that $CH_4$ addition to As processing gas strongly affected the tribologcal properties of sputtered boron carbide coating. The coefficient of friction was reduced approximately from 0.4 to 0.1, and wear resistance was improved considerably by increasing the ratio of $CH_4$, gas component from 0 to $1.2\;vol\;\%$. By adding a sufficient amount of $CH_4\;(1.2\%)$ in the deposition process, the boron carbide coating exhibited lowest friction and highest wear resistance.