Oxidation of Amorphous Carbon Films by Ultraviolet Light Irradiation and Thermal Annealing

Abstract

Using polymer-like amorphous carbon films deposited using supermagnetron plasma, ultraviolet light irradiation and thermal annealing effects in air were studied. Upper and lower electrode rf powers (UPRF/LORF) were selected to be 5/5 W, and such films were deposited using i-C4H10, and N2 or H2 plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD). For comparison, polymer-like amorphous carbon films were deposited using Ar magnetron sputtering. By X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XFS), an increase in oxygen atom concentration and a small change in nitrogen atom concentration were observed under both ultraviolet (UV) light exposure and thermal annealing.