Patent ID: 7771821

Claim:
A low-friction sliding member comprising: a base material having a surface; and a hard carbon thin film formed on at least a part of the surface of the base material the hard carbon thin film being formed of diamond-like carbon containing hydrogen in an amount not more than 10 atomic %; wherein a tribo-film having at least one functional group selected from the group consisting of ether linkage, oxido and hydroxyl group is formed on the hard carbon thin film when the hard carbon thin film is in slidable contact with an opposite member in presence of an organic oxygen-containing compound capable of forming the tribo-film having at least one functional group selected from the group consisting of ether linkage, oxido and hydroxyl group, wherein the organic oxygen-containing compound is at least one selected from the group consisting of an alcohol, carboxylic acid, ester, ether, ketone, aldehyde, carbonate, and a derivative of the alcohol, the carboxylic acid, the ester, the ether, the ketone, the aldehyde and the carbonate.