GROWTH AND CHARACTERIZATION OF CARBON NITRIDE THIN-FILMS PREPARED BY ARC-PLASMA JET CHEMICAL-VAPOR-DEPOSITION

Carbon nitride thin films have been successfully grown on nickel subst rates by a novel are-plasma jet chemical vapor deposition. These films were characterized by Auger electron spectroscopy, transmission elect ron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. Small grains (similar to 0.1 m u m) as well as nanocrystallites found in the films were identified to be beta-C3N4. Raman spectroscopy also confirmed the existence of beta -C3N4 phase in the films through five pronounced Raman bands as expect ed from the Hooke's law approximation based on the vibrational frequen cies obtained in analogous compound, beta-Si3N4. (C) 1995 American Ins titute of Physics.