Daniel Franta, Ivan Ohlídal, Vilma Buršíková, Lenka Zajíčková

Optical properties of diamond-like carbon films containing SiO_x

Diamond and Related Materials 12 (2003) 1532–1538

In this paper the optical properties of amorphous DLC films containing SiO_x (DLC:SiO_x) prepared by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition are studied. For this study a combined optical method based on simultaneous interpretation of experimental data obtained within variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry and near-normal spectroscopic reflectometry is used. The interpretation of these combined experimental data is performed using a new empirical dispersion model of the optical constants characterizing the films under investigation. This dispersion model is based on parameterizing the density of the electronic states belonging to both the valence and conduction bands. It is shown that there are the strong differences between spectral dependences of the optical constants of the DLC films on the one hand and DLC:SiO_x films on the other hand. Further, it is shown that the absorption of the DLC:SiO_x films is smaller than the absorption of the pure DLC films in the visible. This is explained by the fact that the density of the pi electrons inside the DLC:SiO_x films is lower than the density of these electrons in the pure DLC films. It is also found that the existence of small amounts of the silicon and oxygen impurities contained in the DLC films strongly influence their optical properties.

Download PDF (168 kB)

This article may also be available to you online

You can also contact one of the authors: franta@physics.muni.cz, ohlidal@physics.muni.cz, vilmab@physics.muni.cz, lenkaz@physics.muni.cz

Citing Articles

1. Ohlídal I., Ohlídal M., Franta D., Čudek V., Buršíková V., Klapetek P., Páleníková K.,
   Influence of technological conditions on mechanical stresses inside diamond-like carbon films,
   Diamond and Related Materials 14 (2005) 1835–1838
2. Franta D., Buršíková V., Ohlídal I., Sťahel P., Ohlídal M., Nečas D.,
   Correlation of thermal stability of the mechanical and optical properties of diamond-like carbon films,
   Diamond and Related Materials 16 (2007) 1331–1335
3. Buršíková V., Dvořák P., Zajíčková L., Franta D., Janča J., Buršík J., Sobota J., Klapetek P., Bláhová O., Peřina V.,
   Deposition and characterisation of nanostructured silicon-oxide containing diamond-like carbon coatings,
   Optoelectronics and Advanced Materials - Rapid Communications 1 (2007) 491–495
4. Hertwig A., Krueger J., Weise M., Beck U.,
   Hydrogen-Containing Amorphous Carbon Layers as Optical Materials in the Near-IR Spectral Range,
   Plasma Processes and Polymers 4 (2007) S76-S82
5. Franta D., Nečas D., Zajíčková L.,
   Models of dielectric response in disordered solids,
   Optics Express 15 (2007) 16230–16244
6. Franta D., Buršíková V., Nečas D., Zajíčková L.,
   Modeling of optical constants of diamond-like carbon,
   Diamond and Related Materials 17 (2008) 705–708
7. Ohlídal I., Nečas D., Buršíková V., Franta D., Ohlídal M.,
   Optical characterization of diamond-like carbon thin films non-uniform in thickness using spectroscopic reflectometry,
   Diamond and Related Materials 17 (2008) 709–712
8. Zhang Z., Zhou H., Guo D., Gao H., Kang R.,
   Optical characterization of hydrogen-free CeO₂ doped DLC films deposited by unbalanced magnetron sputtering,
   Applied Surface Science 255 (2008) 2655–2659
9. Nečas D., Peřina V., Franta D., Ohlídal I., Zemek J.,
   Optical characterization of non-stoichiometric silicon nitride films,
   Physica Status Solidi C 5 (2008) 1320–1323
10. Franta D., Hrdlička M., Nečas D., Frumar M., Ohlídal I., Pavlišta M.,
    Optical characterization of phase changing Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ chalcogenide films,
    Physica Status Solidi C 5 (2008) 1324–1327
11. Franta D., Nečas D., Zajíčková L., Buršíková V.,
    Limitations and possible improvements of DLC dielectric response model based on parameterization of density of states,
    Diamond and Related Materials 18 (2009) 413–418
12. Franta D., Ohlídal I., Buršíková V., Zajíčková L.,
    Modeling of dielectric response of Ge_xSb_yTe_z (GST) materials,
    Physica Status Solidi C 6 (2009) S59–S62
13. Bereznai M. , Budai J., Hanyecz I., Kopniczky J., Veres M., Koós M., Toth Z. ,
    Ellipsometric study of nanostructured carbon films deposited by pulsed laser deposition,
    Thin Solid Films 519 (2011) 2989-2993
14. Tamuleviciene A., Meškinis Š., Kopustinskas V., Tamulevičius S.,
    Multilayer amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H) and SiO_x doped a-C:H films for optical applications,
    Thin Solid Films 519 (2011) 4004-4007
15. Ohlídal I., Ohlídal M., Franta D., Čudek V., Buršíková V., Šiler M.,
    Proc: Mechanical stresses studied by optical methods in diamond-like carbon films containing Si and O,
    Proceedings of Advances in Thin Film Coatings for Optical Applications, SPIE (2004) 139-147
16. Ohlídal I., Ohlídal M., Franta D., Čudek V., Buršíková V., Klapetek P., Jákl M.,
    Proc: Optical measurement of mechanical stresses in diamond-like carbon films,
    Proceedings of 8-th International Symposium on Laser Metrology, SPIE (2005) 717-728

Cited Articles

1. Buršíková V., Navrátil V., Zajíčková L., Janča J.,
   Temperature Dependence of Mechanical Properties of DLC/Si Protective Coatings Prepared by PECVD,
   Materials Science and Engineering A 324 (2002) 251–254
2. Buršíková V., Sládek P., Sťahel P., Zajíčková L.,
   Improvement of the Efficiency of the Silicon Solar Cells by Silicon Incorporated Diamond-Like Carbon Antireflective Coatings,
   Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids 299 (2002) 1147–1151
3. Franta D., Ohlídal I., Frumar M., Jedelský J.,
   Optical characterization of chalcogenide thin films,
   Applied Surface Science 175–176 (2001) 555–561
4. Ohlídal I., Franta D.,
   Ellipsometry of thin film systems,
   Progress in Optics 41 (2000) 181-282
5. Ohlídal I., Franta D.,
   Matrix formalism for imperfect thin films,
   Acta Physica Slovaca 50 (2000) 489–500