Microtribological properties of B-C-N extremely thin protective films deposited on plasma pretreated magnetic layers

In this paper, we present results of microtribological properties of boron, nitrogen, and carbon (B-C-N) and nitrogen containing carbon (C-N) thin films deposited on CoCrTa magnetic disks. The C-N and B-C-N films of 1- and 3-nm thickness were deposited by complex treatment method, including plasma irradiation and reactive sputter deposition, using hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and graphite (C) semicircular targets. Nanoindentation experiments were performed using atomic force microscope (AFM) with a 143.6°, three-side pyramidal diamond tip at the load of 100-200 μN. The surface morphology of these coatings was examined by AFM. The B-C-N film showed superior hardness and microwear resistance in comparison to the C-N film. The 1-nm B-C-N film showed excellent tribological properties due to a gradated composition and interfaces.