ISSN:
1089-7550
Source:
AIP Digital Archive
Topics:
Physics
Notes:
Highly tetrahedral, dense amorphous carbon (ta-C) films have been deposited using rf sputtering of graphite by an unbalanced magnetron with intense dc Ar-ion plating at low temperatures (〈70 °C). The ratio of the argon ion flux to neutral carbon flux Φi/Φn is about 5. The film density and compressive stress are found to pass through a maximum of 2.7 g/cm3 and 16 GPa, respectively, at an ion plating energy of about 100 eV. Experiments with higher ion flux ratios of Φi/Φn=10 show that it is possible to deposit carbon films with densities up to 3.1 g/cm3 and sp3 contents up to 87%. Deposition of ta-C in this experiment when the energetic species is Ar appears to require a minimum stress of 14 GPa to create significant sp3 bonding, which contrasts with the continuous increase in sp3 content with stress when the energetic species is C ions themselves. These results are used to discuss possible deposition mechanisms. © 1996 American Institute of Physics.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.360979
