NANOSTRUCTURED CARBON NITRIDE FILMS DEPOSITED USING THE LOW-COST PENNING DISCHARGE PLASMA-SPUTTERING TECHNIQUE

Abstract

Nanostructured carbon nitride films have peen synthesized by using a low-cost Penning discharge (PD) plasma-sputtering source. The influences of different working gas pressures on the surface morphologies, chemical compositions, bond structures, and mechanical properties of deposited carbon nitride thin films have been investigated using Scanning probe microscope (SPM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements, Raman spectroscopes, and nanoindentation measurements, respectively. SPM and XPS data indicate the variations of the root-mean-square roughness (R RMS ) of the samples surfaces from 7.5 nm, 11.4 nm, to 17.7 nm, and an increase of sp2 fraction inside the films from 22.8% to 26.9% with an up-shift of the deposition gas pressures. In contrast, the sp3 content decreases from 17.5% to 11.8%. The shifts of D and G peaks and variations of band intensity (ID/IG) have been observed in Raman spectra. The hardness of samples is reduced with increasing N2 partial pressure applied during film deposition.