Amorphous carbon, amorphous-carbon coated member, and process for forming amorphous carbon film

Abstract

To provide a soft amorphous carbon exhibiting a low elastic modulus, an amorphous-carbon coated member provided with a coated film comprising the amorphous carbon, and a process for forming an amorphous carbon film. The amorphous carbon comprises carbon as a major component and hydrogen in an amount of from more than 30 atomic % to 60 atomic % or less, and exhibits an elastic modulus of from 40 or more to 150 GPa or less. Moreover, the amorphous-carbon coated member comprises a conductive substrate, and a coated film fixed on at least a part of a surface of the substrate and composed of the amorphous carbon. In addition, in a process for forming the amorphous-carbon coated film, an amorphous carbon film is formed on a surface of conductive substrates by a plasma CVD method. Not only a plurality of the substrates are disposed on a substrate holder, which is disposed in a film-forming furnace and is connected with a negative electrode, in such a state that they face to each other, but also a processing gas pressure and a plasma power source are operated so as to overlap negative glows of the neighboring two substrates.