Relation between physical structure and electrical properties of diamond-like carbon thin films

Abstract

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) belongs to very interesting materials used for a number of practical applications. Its properties strongly depend on the method of deposition and on the deposition parameters. In particular, the electrical properties of DLC films obtained by RF PCVD discharge depend substantially on the preparation conditions. Influence of deposition conditions on the physical structure and chemical content is discussed. Both the drift mobility of charge carriers and the electrical conductivity of DLC films strongly depend on deposition conditions. The electrical conductivity results are explained in terms of hopping mechanism. At the temperatures below 260 K, the hopping among states in a narrow band of states dominates; at the higher temperatures, the band-to-band transitions are suggested to occur. A model of the forbidden gap explaining the observed electrical properties of DLC films is proposed. Experimental results concerning the electrical conduction of DLC/Si heterostructures are also presented and discussed. The difference in the properties of DLC/n-Si and DLC/p-Si structures may suggest that the electron transport via localised states dominate in the investigated DLC films. Recombination lifetime of charge carriers in DLC films is measured using both dielectric spectroscopy and detection of decay of photocurrents. The lifetime is found to be of the order of 0.3–0.4 ms, which is quite long in comparison with classical doped silicon semiconductors.