Cluster assembling of nanostructured carbon films

Abstract Nanostructured carbon thin films have been grown by deposition of cluster beams produced in supersonic expansions. The structure and morphology of the films can be controlled by varying the cluster mass distribution prior to deposition. The films have been characterized by Raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. These characterizations show the influence of deposition condition on the surface roughness and the onset of scale-invariant morphology on a dimension domain extending from the nanometer up to the micrometer. The cluster beam deposition method shows very promising features in view of the large-scale growth of nanostructured films with novel functional and structural properties.