HIGHLY PREFERRED CRYSTALLINE CARBON THIN-FILMS OBTAINED BY DC MAGNETRON SPUTTERING WITH A HOT-FILAMENT

Highly preferred crystalline carbon thin films were obtained easily at relatively low substrate temperatures using a newly developed DC magn etron sputtering system with a hot filament. The crystal structure of the carbon films was investigated by X-ray diffraction, FE-SEM and TED analysis. X-ray diffraction analysis of the films prepared at substra te temperatures from 600 to 700 degrees C and with the filament temper ature up to 2000 degrees C revealed very strong diffraction peaks at 2 theta=40.22 degrees corresponding to chaoite (220) which are identica l to that of carbyne, one of the carbon allotropes. FE-SEM images show ed that a great number of microcrystallites of about 60 nm diameter ex ist on the surface of the film. TED patterns showed a (220) preferred orientation which coincided with the X-ray results. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.