SURFACE-MORPHOLOGY OF LASER-DEPOSITED DIAMOND-LIKE FILMS BY ATOMIC-FORCE MICROSCOPY IMAGING

The surface morphologies of diamondlike carbon (DLC) films with atomic force microscopy (AFM) are reported. The films were prepared by laser ablation with tuning power densities range from 3 x 10(8) to 1 x 10(1 0) W/cm(2). For power densities above 2 x 10(9) W/cm(2), the films rev eal smooth surfaces with uniform shapes of nanometer sized carbon clus ters (sp(3) bonding) and retain the surface roughness of the silicon s ubstrate. For power densities below that, graphitic films are formed, and the surface roughness increases with decreasing laser intensity. T he present AFM studies confirm that there exists a clear correlation b etween surface morphologies and the degree of diamondlike qualities. ( C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.