Pulsed laser deposition of carbon nitride thin films in nitrogen gas ambient

Carbon nitride thin films have been successfully deposited by ablating a graphite target (99.999%) in nitrogen gas ambient using the second (532 nm) or third (355 nm) harmonic of a Q-switched Nd : YAG laser. Carbon nitride films consisting of approximately 40% nitrogen were obtained at 7.5 × 10⁻³ Pa of nitrogen gas pressure using the third harmonic laser. The C–N chemical bond in the films was observed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Ellipsometric studies revealed that the refractive index of the fabricated films decreased with increasing nitrogen concentration.