Abstract
An experimental study was performed to discover the effect of environment on the tribological behavior of Si-incorporated diamond-like carbon(Si-DLC) film slid on a steel ball. The films were deposited on Si(100) wafers by a radio-frequency glow discharge of mixtures of benzene and dilute silane gases. Experiments using a ball-on-disk test-rig was performed in vacuum, dry air and ambient air conditions. It was observed that coefficient of friction decreased as the environment changed from vacuum, to dry air. Chemical analyses of debris suggested that low and stable friction is closely related to the formation of silicon-rich oxide debris and the rolling action.