AN APPLICATION OF MULTICAPILLARY EXCITED BEAM SOURCE TO FABRICATE NITROGEN-CONTAINING CARBON THIN-FILMS

We have developed a compact device as an ion source for ion-assisted f ilm formation. This ion source has a multicapillary nozzle for the dis charge gas feed, a helicoid coil to produce inductive coupled plasma p owered radio frequency but did not need ion extraction electrodes. Fro m optical emission spectroscopy measurements, it was established that the beam consisted of numerous ions and radicals. Consequently, we ter med it the 'multicapillary excited beam source'. As one application of this source, the nitrogen-containing amorphous carbon films were prep ared by excited beam direct deposition using methane for the discharge gas with nitrogen. Nitrogen/carbon ratio of contents determined by RE S measurement were as large as 0.42. The absorbance of C=N bond was re vealed by FT-IR spectra. It can be concluded that this multicapillary excited beam source can be used in the formation of nitrogen-containin g amorphous carbon thin film. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All right s reserved.