AMORPHOUS NITROGENATED CARBON-FILMS - STRUCTURAL MODIFICATIONS INDUCED BY THERMAL ANNEALING

Citation
Fl. Freire et al., AMORPHOUS NITROGENATED CARBON-FILMS - STRUCTURAL MODIFICATIONS INDUCED BY THERMAL ANNEALING, Journal of vacuum science & technology. A. Vacuum, surfaces, and films, 12(6), 1994, pp. 3048-3053
Citations number
33
Categorie Soggetti
Physics, Applied","Materials Science, Coatings & Films
ISSN journal
07342101
Volume
12
Issue
6
Year of publication
1994
Pages
3048 - 3053
Database
ISI
SICI code
0734-2101(1994)12:6<3048:ANC-SM>2.0.ZU;2-F
Abstract
Hard amorphous nitrogenated carbon films [a-C:H(N)] deposited by self- bias glow discharge were annealed in vacuum in the temperature range o f 300-800 degrees C. The annealing time was 30 min. The structural and compositional modifications induced by thermal annealing were followe d by several analytical techniques: secondary ion mass spectrometry (S IMS), Raman spectroscopy, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, elas tic recoil detection (ERDA), and nuclear reaction analysis. The intern al stress of the films was also measured. Nuclear analyses indicate th at both nitrogen and hydrogen losses occur for annealing temperatures higher than 300 degrees C. ERDA and SIMS results suggest that hydrogen and nitrogen out-diffusion occurs by molecular transport through an i nterconnect network of voids. In the same temperature range, Raman sca ttering reveals an increase of the number and/or the size of the graph ite domains. Internal stress is compressive for the as-deposited films and changes to tensile for samples annealed at 800 degrees C, indicat ing the progressive graphitization of films. A comparison with amorpho us carbon films (a-C:H) is also made.