Patent ID: 7368168

Claim:
A low-friction sliding member comprising: a substrate having a surface; an amorphous hard carbon film on the surface of the substrate; and a silanol layer on the amorphous hard carbon film, wherein the amorphous hard carbon film comprises silicon in an amount of from 6 to 20 atomic %, hydrogen in an amount of from 25 to 35 atomic %, and a balance of carbon and inevitable impurities, when the entirety is taken as 100 atomic %; the amorphous hard carbon film exhibits a surface roughness Rz jis of 0.5 μm or less; and the silanol layer is produced by a process comprising contacting the amorphous hard carbon film slidably with a mating member under a wet condition employing a lubricant comprising at least one member selected from the group consisting of phosphorus, zinc, calcium, magnesium, sodium, barium, copper and chlorine in a summed amount of 500 ppm by weight or less, and water in an amount of 10 ppm by weight or more.