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The multilayered structure of ultrathin amorphous carbon films synthesized by filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition

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Abstract

The structure of ultrathin amorphous carbon (a-C) films synthesized by filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) deposition was investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Results of the plasmon excitation energy shift and through-thickness elemental concentration show a multilayered a-C film structure comprising an interface layer consisting of C, Si, and, possibly, SiC, a buffer layer with continuously increasing sp3 fraction, a relatively thicker layer (bulk film) of constant sp3 content, and an ultrathin surface layer rich in sp2 hybridization. A detailed study of the C K-edge spectrum indicates that the buffer layer between the interface layer and the bulk film is due to the partial backscattering of C+ ions interacting with the heavy atoms of the silicon substrate. The results of this study provide insight into the minimum thickness of a-C films deposited by FCVA under optimum substrate bias conditions.

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Acknowledgment

This research was funded by the Computer Mechanics Laboratory (CML) and the UCB-KAUST Academic Excellence Alliance (AEA) Program. TEM and XPS studies were performed at the National Center for Electron Microscopy and the Molecular Foundry, respectively, of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

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  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California, 94720, USA

    Na Wang & Kyriakos Komvopoulos

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  1. Na Wang
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  2. Kyriakos Komvopoulos
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Correspondence to Kyriakos Komvopoulos.

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Wang, N., Komvopoulos, K. The multilayered structure of ultrathin amorphous carbon films synthesized by filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition. Journal of Materials Research 28, 2124–2131 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2013.206

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