Ion-source-assisted pulsed laser deposition of carbon nitride thin films

Abstract

Ion source assisted pulsed laser deposition has been used to synthesize carbon nitride thin films. This synthesis method has both advantages of pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and ion implantation. The average ion beam current, the beam voltage, the laser pulse energy, and substrate temperature can be controlled systematically. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) has been used to study the surface properties. The (dI/dV)/(I/V) values have been calculated to study the local density of states (LDOS) on the film surface. Experiment results have been analyzed by Raman spectra to see the influence of the substrate temperature. Thin films CNX with nitrogen content of 32% have been investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results can reveal the formation of different bonds. Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) was also used to study the bonding of films. The hardness of the synthesized thin film was analyzed by a nanoindentor. The result shows that the carbon nitride films have high hardness.