sp(3)-rich deposition conditions and growth mechanism of tetrahedral amorphous carbon films deposited using filtered arc

作者：Zhu Jiaqi^*; Han Jiecai; Han Xiao; Schlaberg H Inaki; Wang Jiazhi

来源：Journal of Applied Physics, 2008, 104(1): 013512.

DOI：10.1063/1.2951588

Tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) films with many superior properties approaching those of diamond crystal were prepared using filtered cathodic vacuum arc technology. To ascertain the sp(3)-rich deposition condition, the dependence of the film microstructure on the deposition energy was investigated by means of visible Raman spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, x-ray reflectivity, and nanoindentation. The maximum hardness and Young';s modulus are achieved at a bias of -80 V, at which the maximum sp(3) fraction of about 82% is obtained. Under this condition, the most symmetric Raman line shape, the highest x-ray photoemission C 1s core level position and a pi(*) transition peak with the smallest integral area in the K-edge spectra are simultaneously achieved. The structural properties are found to be strongly correlated with the mass density of the films. At the optimal substrate bias of -80 V, the film mass density reaches its maximum value. The cross section of the films is characterized with a layered distribution in mass density. A surface layer with low density is an intrinsic feature and experimental evidence of the subplantation growth of the films.

• 出版日期2008-7-1
• 单位哈尔滨工业大学