Bonding topologies in diamondlike amorphous-carbon films

Journal Article · Mon Apr 10 00:00:00 EDT 2000 · Applied Physics Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.126250· OSTI ID:20215795

Siegal, M P ^[1]; Provencio, P N ^[1]; Tallant, D R ^[1]; Simpson, R L ^[1]; Kleinsorge, B ^[2]; Milne, W I ^[2]

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1. Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-1421 (United States)
2. Department of Engineering, Cambridge University, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, (United Kingdom)

The carbon ion energy used during filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition determines the bonding topologies of amorphous-carbon (a-C) films. Regions of relatively low density occur near the substrate/film and film/surface interfaces; their thicknesses increase with deposition energy. The ion subplantation growth results in mass density gradients in the bulk portion of a-C in the growth direction; density decreases with distance from the substrate for films grown using ion energies <60 eV and increases for films grown using ion energies >160 eV. Films grown between these energies are the most diamondlike with relatively uniform bulk density and the highest optical transparencies. Bonding topologies evolve with increasing growth energy consistent with the propagation of subplanted carbon ions inducing a partial transformation of {sigma}- to {pi}-bonded carbon atoms. (c) 2000 American Institute of Physics.

• OSTI ID: 20215795
• Journal Information: Applied Physics Letters, Journal Name: Applied Physics Letters Journal Issue: 15 Vol. 76; ISSN APPLAB; ISSN 0003-6951
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ABLATION
AMORPHOUS STATE
BONDING
CARBON
DEPOSITION
ENERGY DEPENDENCE
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
IONS
THICKNESS