Effect of silicon preimplantation on carbon nitride formation by nitrogen implantation into glassy carbon

Abstract

We have studied the effects of Si-preimplantation on the formation of carbon nitride by N implantation into glassy carbon (GC). Structure, composition and chemical bonding of the Si-implanted carbon nitride layers are examined by using Backscattering spectroscopy (BS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Raman spectroscopy reveals that the carbon nitride layer containing up to 8 at.% Si is amorphous and has an sp2 bonded structure with a small amount of CN bonds. XPS analysis suggests that local CN–Si(CnN3−n) arrangements exist in the nitride layer. It was revealed from backscattering measurements that the Si-preimplantation increases the saturation concentration of the implanted N atoms; it increases from 26 at.% N for the nitride layer without Si-preimplantation to 35 at.% for the Si-preimplanted nitride. In addition, Si atoms in the nitride layer suppress oxygen incorporation during N implantation.