Effects of Rapid Thermal Annealing on Structure, Surface Roughness, and Adhesion Strength of Nitrogen-Doped Tetrahedral Amorphous Carbon Thin Films with Different Nitrogen ContentsPages 427-435
Nay Win Khun Abstract:
Nitrogen-doped tetrahedral amorphous carbon (taC:N) thin films with varying nitrogen concentrations were synthesized on silicon (Si) substrates using a filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) deposition process. Then, they were annealed at 200 ˚C for 2 minutes to study the effects of rapid thermal annealing (RTA) on their structure, surface roughness, and adhesion strength. It was found that the increased N content or the annealing increased the graphitization of the taC:N thin films, which was responsible for their increased surface roughness. The adhesion strength of the taC:N thin films increased with their increased N contents or the annealing as a result of their degraded sp3-bonded cross-linking networks with the increased number of sp2 bonds, N aggregates, and graphitic phases. It was concluded that changes in the structure, surface roughness, and adhesion strength of the taC:N thin films were apparently related to their N contents or the annealing.
Keywords: taC thin films,
N doping,
Annealing,
Structure,
Adhesion Strength
|
PDF 