RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FIELD-EMISSION CHARACTERISTICS AND HYDROGEN CONTENT IN DIAMOND-LIKE CARBON DEPOSITED BY THE LAYER-BY-LAYER TECHNIQUE USING PLASMA-ENHANCED CHEMICAL-VAPOR-DEPOSITION

We deposited diamondlike carbon (DLC) films of various hydrogen conten ts by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The hydrogen content in the DLC film was controlled by a novel technique called a layer-by- layer deposition, in which the deposition of a thin layer of DLC and a CF4 plasma exposure on its surface were carried out alternatively. Th e DLC films with different hydrogen content could be obtained by varyi ng the CF4 plasma exposure time. The emission current increases and tu rn-on held decreases with decreasing hydrogen content in the DLC film. (C) 1997 American Vacuum Society.