Wear-protected device

A wear-protected device, comprising:

• a substrate to be protected from a physical action thereto;
• a buffer film layer formed on said substrate;
• a hard carbon film layer formed on said buffer film layer;
• and
• a hydrogen-containing lubricative film formed on said hard carbon film;
• said buffer film layer comprising at least carbon and hydrogen and having a hydrogen concentration which gradually increases towards said hard carbon film;
• concentration of hydrogen in said lubricative film gradually decreasing from that on an outer surface of said hard carbon film to that on an outer surface of said lubricative film layer.

A wear-protected device comprising:

• a substrate to be protected from a physical action thereto, said substrate being made of a material selected from the group consisting of glass, metal, plastic film and resin,
• a buffer film formed on said substrate, said buffer film comprising at least carbon and hydrogen, the distribution of said hydrogen being sloped in concentration,
• a hard carbon film formed on said buffer film by ion irradiation, said hard carbon film consisting essentially of carbon or carbon and hydrogen, and
• a lubricative film, which has a friction coefficient which is less than 0.3 and less than that of said hard carbon film, said lubricative film being formed on said hard carbon film.

A wear-protected structure, comprising:

• a substrate having a surface which is to be protected from abrasion, said substrate being made of a material selected from the group consisting of glass, metal, plastic film and resin;
• a hard carbon film formed on said surface by ion beam sputtering, said hard carbon film being less than 500 .ANG. in thickness and consisting essentially of carbon or carbon and hydrogen, said hard carbon film having a diamond structure with a Vickers hardness of more than 3000 Kg/cm.sup.2 ;
• and
• a solid state lubricative film formed on an opposite surface of said hard carbon film from said substrate, said lubricative film being less than 500 .ANG. in thickness, having a coefficient of friction on an exposed outer surface thereof which is both less than 0.3 and less than the coefficient of friction of said surface of said hard carbon film;
• said lubricative film, if containing carbon, containing no more hydrogen by weight percent, than does said hard carbon film;
• and said lubricative film consisting essentially of at least one constituent selected from the group:
• graphitic-structure carbon, carbon with up to 50 percent hydrogen, ZrS.sub.2, VS.sub.2, MoS.sub.2, WS.sub.2, PeS.sub.2, WSe.sub.2, MoSe.sub.3, NbSe.sub.2, a compound of tellurium, a fluorine compound having the general formula (CF.sub.x).sub.n, CdCl.sub.2, CdI.sub.2, BN and mica.

A wear-protected structure comprising:

• a substrate having a surface which is to be protected from abrasion, said substrate being made of a material selected from the group consisting of glass, metal, plastic film and resin;
• a buffer layer formed on said surface, said buffer layer being less than 500 .ANG. in thickness and consisting essentially of carbon or carbon and hydrogen, said carbon having a graphitic structure;
• said buffer layer containing no more hydrogen, by weight percent, than does said hard carbon film;
• a hard carbon film formed on said buffer layer by ion beam sputtering, said hard carbon film being less than 500 .ANG. in thickness and consisting essentially of carbon or carbon and hydrogen, said hard carbon film having a diamond structure with a Vickers hardness or more than 3000 Kg/cm.sup.2 ;
• and
• a solid state lubricative film formed on an opposite surface of said hard carbon film from said buffer layer, said lubricative film being less than 500 .ANG. in thickness, having a coefficient of friction on an exposed outer surface thereof which is both less than 0.3 and less than the coefficient of friction of said surface of said hard carbon film;
• said lubricative film, if containing carbon, containing no more hydrogen, by weight percent, than does said hard carbon film;
• and said lubricative film consisting essentially of at least one constituent selected from the group:
• graphitic-structure carbon, carbon with up to 50 percent hydrogen, ZrS.sub.2, VS.sub.2, MoS.sub.2, WS.sub.2, PeS.sub.2, WSe.sub.2, MoSe.sub.3, NbSe.sub.2, a compound of tellurium, a fluorine compound having the general formula (CF.sub.x).sub.n, CdCl.sub.2, CdI.sub.2, BN and mica.