Evaluation of carbon films electrodeposited on different substrates from different organic solvents

Diamond-like-carbon (DLC) films have been deposited on Si, aluminum and ind ium tin oxide-coated glass from several organic solvents with pulse-modulat ed power. The films are characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy ( XPS) and Raman spectroscopy. XPS spectra show that the main composition of the films is carbon and Raman spectra show that the films are typical DLC f ilms and a high potential is preferable in the formation of spa-structure c arbon. Comparing the results from different solvents and different substrat es we deduce that the methyl group of the solvents has a critical function in forming the DLC films. However, the formation process and the characters of the films, such as appearance, resistivity and thickness, are mainly de termined by the substrate. We may call this deposition a substrate-controll ed reaction.