Microscopic mechanical characteristics analysis of ultranano-crystalline diamond films

The microscopic mechanical characteristics of ultranano-crystalline diamond films which were prepared in four different atmospheres were investigated for the applications in microelectron-mechanical system (MEMS). The loading-unloading curves and the change of modulus and hardness of samples along with depth were achieved through nanoindenter. The results show that the films which are made in atmosphere without Ar have the highest recovery of elasticity, hardness (72.9 GPa) and elastic modulus (693.7 GPa) among the samples. Meanwhile, samples fabricated at a low Ar content have higher hardness and modulus. All the results above demonstrate that atmosphere without Ar or low Ar content leads to better mechanical properties of nanodiamond films that are the candidates for applications in MEMS.