Deposition of ta-C:N:H as Function of Experimental Parameters

Abstract

The incorporation of nitrogen into tetrahedral amorphous carbon films (ta-C:H) was investigated as a function of different gas sources, ion energies and substrate temperatures. Samples were deposited using a highly energetic plasma method: electron cyclotron wave resonance. Composition was measured by nuclear techniques or by XPS. The optical gap was determined by reflection and transmission measurements of samples deposited on quartz substrates and the bonding state was investigated by Raman and infrared (ir) spectroscopy. All the results suggest that tetrahedral bonding is lost, as the nitrogen content increases independently of the deposition parameters used. Structural changes indicated a more polymeric structure with the formation of >C=N, -C≡N and >NH groups.