The Hall-type ion source operated with nitrogen has been used in two ways i
n the synthesis of carbon nitride films: by ion beam nitridation of a graph
ite target and by simultaneous deposition on a collector (silicon wafer and
nickel foil) of sputtered carbon atoms and nitrogen atoms from the surroun
ding nitrogen plasma. We present Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, x-
ray photoelectron spectroscopy and x-ray excited Auger electron spectroscop
y results on the carbon and nitrogen atom fraction and chemical bonding sta
te in carbon nitride films. The C 1s XPS peak of a sample deposited on sili
con wafer was deconvoluted into three peaks at 284.7, 286.7 and 288.8 eV. T
he peak at 286.7 eV by analogy with polymethacrylonitrile (C=N, 286.74 eV)
can be identified as C=N, the peaks at 284.7 and 288.8 eV as C-C and O=C-N,
respectively. The N 1s peaks were also deconvoluted into three peaks at ap
proximately 398.3, 400.5 and 402.6 eV. According to the N(E) CKVV spectra t
he surface samples contain an equal number of sp(2) and sp(3) bonds of carb
on atoms.