CARBON NITRIDE THIN-FILMS OBTAINED BY LASER-ABLATION OF GRAPHITE IN ANITROGEN PLASMA

Carbon nitride thin films were deposited by KrF (248 nm) laser ablatio n of graphite in a nitrogen atmosphere. A de or rf nitrogen plasma was also superimposed onto the ablation process. The films were studied u sing a wide range of characterization techniques such as scanning elec tron microscopy (SEM), secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), wavelen gth-dispersive electron probe X-ray microanalysis (WDS), X-ray photoel ectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-LR) and Raman spectroscopies. The films were found to have a nitrogen concentr ation close to 10%. Nitrogen atoms were incorporated substitutionally in the films forming covalent C-N bonds as revealed by XPS, FT-IR and Raman spectroscopies. Spatially resolved optical spectroscopy studies of the ablation plume were also carried out.