Main page | Journal list | Log-in

Lenka Zajíčková, Kateřina Veltruská, Nataliya Tsud, Daniel Franta

XPS and ellipsometric study of DLC/silicon Interface

Vacuum 61 (2001) 269–273

Damond-like carbon (DLC) films were prepared by plasma enhanced CVD from the mixture of methane and argon on silicon substrates. Films were characterized by multi-sample modification of variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry. The ellipsometry showed that there is a transition interlayer between the DLC film and the silicon substrate that cannot be attributed to a thin silicon dioxide layer but rather to amorphous silicon and/or modified oxide layer. TRIM calculations revealed that argon or carbon ions could not produce a significant layer of amorphous silicon because the depth of target atom displacements is bellow the thickness of a native oxide layer. The chemical composition of a DLC film profile including a DLC/silicon interface was studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) coupled with an argon sputtering of the 34 nm thick DLC film. The DLC/silicon interface composed from less than 6% of oxygen and gradually decreasing and increasing carbon and silicon percentage, respectively.

Download PDF (100 kB)

This article may also be available to you online

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

Citing Articles

  1. Park C.K., Chang S.M., Uhm H.S., Seo S.H., Park J.S.,
    XPS and XRR studies on microstructures and interfaces of DLC films deposited by FCVA method,
    Thin Solid Films 420 (2002) 235–240
  2. Ferro S., Dal Colle M., De Battisti A.,
    Chemical surface characterization of electrochemically and thermally oxidized boron-doped diamond film,
    Carbon 43 (2005) 1191–1203
  3. Yang W.B., Fan S.H., Zhang G.L., Ma P.N., Zhang S.Z., Du J.,
    Investigation of diamond-like-carbon films prepared by unbalanced magnetron sputtering,
    Review of Scientific Instruments 54 (2005) 4944–4948
  4. Meškinis Š., Andrulevičius M., Tamulevičius S., Kopustinskas V., Šlapikas K., Jankauskas J., Čižiūtė B.,
    XPS study of the a-C:H/Ti and a-C:H/a-Si interfaces,
    Vacuum 80 (2006) 1007–1011
  5. Zhao Q., Liu Y., Wang C., Wang S.,
    Bacterial adhesion on silicon-doped diamond-like carbon films,
    Diamond and Related Materials 16 (2007) 1682–1687
  6. Macák J., Pazderová M., Jiříček I., Malý P., Olysar K., Cvrček L., Vosta J.,
    Corrosion properties of physically deposited thin coatings (PVD coatings),
    Chemické listy 101 (2007) 713–721
  7. Zhao Q., Su X., Wang S., Zhang X., Navabpour P., Teer D.,
    Bacterial attachment and removal properties of silicon- and nitrogen-doped diamond-like carbon coatings,
    Biofouling 25 (2009) 377–385
  8. Zhao F., Li H. X., Ji L., Mo Y. F., Quan W. L., Zhou H. D., Chen J. M.,
    Structural, mechanical and tribological characterizations of a-C:H:Si films prepared by a hybrid PECVD and sputtering technique,
    Journal of Physics D 42 (2009) 165407
  9. Zhao F., Li H.-B., Ji L., Mo Y. F., Quan W. L., Wang Y., Chen J. M., Zhou H.,
    Effects of duty cycle and water immersion on the composition and friction performance of diamond-like carbon films prepared by the pulsed-DC plasma technique,
    Thin Solid Films 519 (2011) 2043-2048
  10. Rismani E., Sinha S. K., Yang H., Bhatia C. S.,
    Effect of pretreatment of Si interlayer by energetic C+ ions on the improved nanotribological properties of magnetic head overcoat,
    Journal of Applied Physics 111 (2012) 0000
  11. Zhao F., Li H.-B., Ji L., Wang Y., Mo Y. F., Quan W. L., Kong Q. H., Wang Y., Chen J. M., Zhou H.,
    Microstructure and mechanical properties of graphitic a-C:H:Si films,
    Surface and Coatings Technology 206 (2012) 3467-3471
  12. Rismani E., Samad M. A., Sinha S. K., Yeo R., Yang H., Bhatia C. S.,
    Ultrathin Si/C graded layer to improve tribological properties of Co magnetic films,
    Applied Physics Letters 101 (2012) 00000

Cited Articles

  1. Franta D., Ohlídal I.,
    Ellipsometric parameters and reflectances of thin films with slightly rough boundaries,
    Journal of Modern Optics 45 (1998) 903–934