The influence of some key parameters of hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) on the temperature distribution during the deposition of diamond coatings on silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) substrates was assessed with the help of the finite element method. Solid heat transfer, fluid heat transfer and surface radiation heat transfer mechanisms were used to calculate the substrate temperature in the steady state during the deposition process. The accuracy of the model was verified by comparing the simulation model with experimental measurements. The comparison shows that the deviation between the model and the actual substrate temperature measurements is within 3%. Furthermore, a Taguchi orthogonal experiment was designed (3 factors, 3 levels, L9). By changing the number of hot filaments, the distance between the filaments and the substrate, and the separation between two adjacent hot filaments, the influence trend of these parameters on the substrate temperature was assessed, leading to an optimal hot filament arrangement. A deposition experiment was carried out using the optimized parameters, and the results showed that the substrate surface temperature obtained by numerical simulation is highly consistent with the temperature measured by the infrared thermometer. The optimized deposition parameters contributed to a more suitable temperature range and more uniform temperature distribution on the Si₃N₄ ceramic substrate. The deposited diamond film exhibited uniform crystal quality and grain morphology, thus verifying the validity of the simulation results.

Diamond films were deposited on silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) substrates with three different roughnesses using the method of hot-filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD). The tribological properties of the film were studied by changing the deposition time, deposition distance, and methane (CH₄) concentration. The friction coefficient, delamination threshold load, and wear rate of the diamond films were tested and calculated using the reciprocating friction and wear test under dry friction conditions. The results show that, when the deposition time is 12 h, the bonding force of the film is the lowest and the friction coefficient is the largest (0.175, 0.438, and 0.342); the deposition distance has little effect on the friction performance. The friction coefficients (0.064, 0.107, and 0.093) of nano-diamond films (NCD) prepared at a 40 sccm CH₄ concentration are smaller than those of micro-diamond films (MCD) prepared at a 16 sccm CH₄ concentration. The load thresholds before delamination of R_a 0.4 μm substrate diamond film are as high as 40 N and 80 N, whereas the diamond films deposited on R_a 0.03 μm substrates have lower wear rates (4.68 × 10⁻⁴ mm³/mN, 5.34 × 10⁻⁴ mm³/mN) and low friction coefficients (0.119, 0.074, 0.175, and 0.064). Within a certain load range, the deposition of a diamond film on a R_a 0.03 μm Si₃N₄ substrate significantly reduces the friction coefficient and improves wear resistance. Diamond film can improve the friction performance of a workpiece and prolong its service life.

HFCVD method was used to prepare and characterize single and gradient multi-layered diamond coatings on tungsten carbide. The wear behaviour was evaluated in ambient air, against Si₃N₄ ceramic balls. The results demonstrated that with the increase of carbon-source concentration from 1% to 5%, the diamond surface grains gradually refined and formed crystal clusters, and the roughness (Ra) of diamond surface decreased from 62.3 to 32.54 nm. Concerning the 100, 300, and 600 nm gradient of multilayer diamond coatings, the roughness Ra was 31.3, 35.6, and 40.5 nm, respectively. The diamond film obtained with 1% CH₄ concentration exhibited poor wear resistance. For higher CH₄ concentration, the abrasion resistance increased gradually. The average friction coefficient of multilayer diamond coatings decreased from 0.052 to 0.023 as the modulated layer thickness increased from 100 to 600 nm. The gradient multilayer structure significantly improved the tribological behaviour.

Reactive magnetron sputtering was used to deposit Ti:Zr-O-N thin films, by using a single Zr target, with Ti ribbons placed on the erosion track of the Zr sputtering target. Zr-O-N thin films have been also deposited in the same chamber to be used as reference films. The number of Ti ribbons, the applied sputtering current, and the reactive gas flow were the variable parameters. The films were analyzed in terms of structural development and mechanical properties (instrumented indentation, adhesion scratch testing, and wear analysis). The films are either amorphous or composed of a mixture of crystalline phases based on zirconium and titanium oxides or nitrides. Hardness values are situated between ∼10 and 11 GPa for the reference films (deposited without Ti) and up to ∼22 GPa for one of the Ti:Zr-O-N films. The films deposited without Ti behave slightly better in terms of adhesion to the substrate in comparison to the remaining samples in relation to the occurrence of first cracks (Lc1, critical load 1) and for first delamination (Lc2, critical load 2), a phenomenon probably related to the lower hardness of these films, which can accommodate the plastic deformation caused by the diamond indenter, prior to the occurrence of delamination. Adhesion to the substrate is a critical characteristic during wear tests since some of the coatings exhibit severe delamination.