P. Komninou et al., HREM study of ultra-thin, amorphous carbon films and structural changes ofcarbon forms to diamond under ion bombardment, DIAM RELAT, 8(2-5), 1999, pp. 688-692
High-resolution electron microscopy studies of ultra-thin, diamond-like amo
rphous carbon films are presented to investigate the initial stages of film
growth and the formation of new carbon phases as well as their transformat
ion to diamond under ion treatment. Films with a thickness of similar to 3
nm were deposited by r.f. magnetron sputtering at room temperature on a (00
1) Si clean surface. Specimens that were prepared for plan-view HREM observ
ations only by chemical thinning revealed carbon crystallites, which are at
tributed to cubic carbon or to chaoite. The analysis shows that two cubic p
hases are present. Specimens of the same films prepared only by ion bombard
ment contain nuclei in which lattice fringes with a spacings equal to that
of the (111) planes of diamond are resolved. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A.
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