Diagnostics of the laser carbon plasma in different environments during DLC deposition
- North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC (United States). Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering
The authors have investigated the characteristics of pulsed laser deposition of carbon, and especially the correlation between the laser plasma environment and the carbon structure and bonding characteristics. The plasma plume was generated by the interaction of KrF excimer laser with a graphite target. The ablation was carried out in vacuum as well as in ultrahigh purity nitrogen and argon at different pressures. All the depositions have been accomplished at room temperature on (001)Si substrates. They have used optical emission spectroscopy to analyze the species in the laser-generated plasma plume, Raman spectroscopy for the studying the atomic bonding, and transmission electron microscopy for characterization of the structure and short-range atomic order in the amorphous films. The films deposited in vacuum exhibited a typical diamond-like nature with a predominant tetrahedral bonding of carbon atoms. At the ambient pressures above 100 mTorr they have observed the interaction of the energetic carbon species with the ambient gas, N{sub 2} with a formation of CN species and Ar with a formation of CH radicals. The films grown at pressures above 100 mTorr showed a predominant graphite-like nature which is expected to be a result of a reduction of kinetic energy of the carbon species due to collisions and plasma thermalization. They have also observed the increase of the content of C{sub 2} molecules at higher pressures of both N{sub 2} and Ar which might contribute for the observed graphite-like nature of the film. They also found that diamondlike carbon films, when doped with Ag, Si, Ti, and Cu, exhibit improved adhesion and wear properties. They present correlations between plasma diagnostics and film properties of the doped DLC films.
- OSTI ID:
- 338534
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-980601-; TRN: IM9919%%150
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 25. international conference on plasma science, Raleigh, NC (United States), 1-4 Jun 1998; Other Information: PBD: 1998; Related Information: Is Part Of IEEE conference record -- Abstracts. 1998 IEEE international conference on plasma science; PB: 343 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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