Study On Deposition Of MoS₂ Thin Film By RF Magnetron Sputtering

MoS₂ thin film prepared by magnetron sputtering has many advantages,such as high deposition rate,good film quality,especially low film temperature,without affecting the performance of the substrate. Therefor,it is suitable for improving performance of metal surface.This paper is mainly about the research of preparing MoS₂ thin film on steel substrate by RF magnetron sputtering,as well as preparation and properties of MoS₂/SiC films on steel substrate.MoS₂/SiC films with excellent wear resistance and low friction coefficient were deposited on steel substrate,mainly on GCr15,by magnetron sputtering with MoS₂ target and SiC target.Influence of different process parameters on the surface morphology,structure and properties of the films was systematically studied with SEM,EDS,XRD, friction and wear tester and scratch tester.The results indicated that MoS₂ thin film prepared by RF magnetron sputtering at the power of 200W,the argon pressure of 3Pa and the time of 2h had best properties.Surface morphology analysis showed that surface morphology of MoS₂ thin film was related to the energy of deposited atoms got from the surface of substract.During the coating formation,MoS₂ film grew in Frank-Van der Merwe mode when diffusion energy on the surface was sufficient,otherwise growing in Stranski-Krastanov mode.XRD analysis of crystalline structure of MoS₂ thin film proved that crystalline structure of MoS₂ film didn't change much after annealed. However,depositing temperature affected crystalline structure of MoS₂ film greatly,especially at depositing temperature of 500℃.Tribology performances of films indicated that both MoS₂ film and MoS₂/SiC films had good antifriction properties.The friction coefficient of the substrate was about 0.9,while that of MoS₂ film was only 0.11. Cohesion test showed that the cohesion between MoS₂/SiC films and the substrate was 21N.The cohesion could be improved to 26N after Ti inter-layer between MoS₂ film and SiC film,Ni-P inter-layer between SiC film and the substrate added in.