Synthesis of Ag-doped hydrogenated carbon thin films by a hybrid PVD–PECVD deposition process

Silver-doped hydrogenated amorphous carbon (Ag-DLC) films were deposited on Si substrates using a hybrid plasma vapour deposition–plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PVD–PECVD) process combining Ag target magnetron sputtering and PECVD in an Ar–CH4 plasma. Processing parameters (working pressure, CH4/Ar ratio and magnetron current) were varied to obtain good deposition rate and a wide variety of Ag films. Structure and bonding environment of the films were obtained from transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy studies. Variation of processing parameters was found to produce Ag-doped amorphous carbon or diamond-like carbon (DLC) films with a range of characteristics with CH4/Ar ratio exercising a dominant effect. It was pointed out that Ag concentration and deposition rate of the film increased with the increase in d.c. magnetron current. At higher Ar concentration in plasma, Ag content increased whereas deposition rate of the film decreased. FTIR study showed that the films contained a significant amount of hydrogen and, as a result of an increase in the Ag content in the hydrogenated DLC film, sp 2 bond content also increased. The TEM cross sectional studies revealed that crystalline Ag particles were formed with a size in the range of 2–4 nm throughout an amorphous DLC matrix.