Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) of diamond-like carbon (DLC) thin film on Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and tool steels

Pulsed laser deposition with KrF-excimer laser radiation (lambda = 248 nm; t = 25 ns) is used to grow diamond like carbon (DLC) thin films on PMMA and tool steel substrates. The investigations are focused on the adherence of the DLC thin films. The pre-treatment of the metallic samples was a corrosion process to passivate the surfaces and of the PMMA samples the deposition of a titanium buffer layer as well as a mechanical surface modification. The analytical techniques used to determine the structural and chemical characteristics of the films are Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, optical and electron microscopy. The hardness and the elastic modulus of the films are measured by nano-indentation. The adherence characteristics of the DLC thin films are compared with the films of ZrO2 and Al2O3 deposited by PLD on PMMA.