Amorphous carbon films deposited by direct current-magnetron sputtering: Void distribution investigated by gas effusion and small angle x-ray scattering experiments

Abstract

Amorphous carbon films were deposited by direct current-magnetron sputtering onto p-doped (100) silicon crystals and onto ultrapure aluminum foils at different argon pressures, ranging from 0.17 to 1.4 Pa. The film density was determined by the combination of the areal density, obtained from ion beam analysis, and the film thickness measured by a stylus profilometer. Film density decreased when the argon pressure used during deposition was increased. Gas effusion measurements indicated that the films deposited at low pressures are more compact than the films deposited at higher pressures. In the case of the latter, C2Hn effusion at temperatures as low as 250 °C indicated that they have an open structure that allows the evolution of large molecules. Small angle x-ray scattering results revealed an increase of the void density with increasing plasma pressure. Guinier plots show that these voids have a broad distribution of sizes, ranged from 7 to 26 Å, which is nearly independent of the plasma pressure. A direct correlation between film density and the open volume fraction in the films was found. These different film microstructures could be explained by the existence of different bombardment regimes during film growth: films deposited at lower plasma pressures are hard and dense, while soft films grown at higher pressures have an open microstructure.