The characterization of amorphous carbon nitride films grown by RFCVD method

Abstract Nitrogenized amorphous carbon a-C(N):H films were grown by using radio frequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (rf-PECVD) with various mixture ratios of CH4 and NH4OH. The film adhesion was improved using argon plasma to bombard the silicon substrates prior to the carbon nitride growth. The film compositions were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman scattering and Fourier transform infrared spectrometers (FTIR). The XPS reveals that the chemical bonding of carbon and nitrogen have two different states, similar to those of pyridine and urotropine. The incorporation of chemical bonding of diamond-like carbon and nitrogen atoms increases the hardness of the films in comparison with pure amorphous carbon films.