Method for forming DLC film on spline shaft and hot cathode PIG plasma CVD device

摘要

Plural spline shafts are arranged around columnar plasma, and plural spline shafts are coaxially aligned in a direction that the columnar plasma extends within a vacuum chamber. The plural coaxially aligned spline shafts are positioned so that axial gap is formed between the respective male spline sections. The axial gap of the plural male spline sections is positioned at a center of the columnar plasma in the direction that the columnar plasma extends.

主权项

1. A method for forming a DLC film on a male spline section of a spline shaft by a hot cathode PIG plasma CVD device, wherein the hot cathode PIG plasma CVD device includes: i) a vacuum chamber that accommodates the spline shaft; ii) a plasma gun; iii) a reflecting electrode arranged within the vacuum chamber; iv) a first coil arranged to surround the plasma gun; v) a second coil arranged on the reflecting electrode side, the second coil facing the first coil; vi) a hot cathode PIG plasma source that forms a columnar plasma with a bulged center in the vacuum chamber; and vii) a material gas feed section that supplies material gas into the vacuum chamber, the material gas serving as a material for the DLC film,
the method comprising: arranging the plural spline shafts around the columnar plasma in the vacuum chamber; aligning the plural spline shafts coaxially on a support having a longitudinal axis that extends in a same direction that the columnar plasma extends; arranging the plural coaxially aligned spline shafts so that two of the plural coaxially aligned spline shafts are located near a center of the longitudinal axis of the support and are positioned so as to form an axial gap between the respective male spline sections of the two spline shafts near the center; and positioning the axial gap such that a center of the axial gap is positioned at the center of the longitudinal axis of the support and the center of the axial gap is also positioned at a center of the columnar plasma in the direction that the columnar plasma extends, wherein the two coaxially aligned spline shafts are located on either side of the axial gap and are positioned a same distance away from the center of the axial gap along the longitudinal axis.