The effect of ion energy on the deposition of amorphous carbon phosphide films

A detailed study has been performed of diamond-like carbon films containing high concentrations of phosphor-us deposited onto a variety of substrates. These 'amorphous carbon phosphide' films have been grown using RF plasma CVD at varying ion impact energies by changing the DC self bias on the powered electrode. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) have been used to determine changes in the chemical composition and chemical bonding structure of these films. UV/visible absorption spectroscopy employing the Tauc-plot method has determined the band gap change with varying ion energies. Results show the enhancement of C-P bonding ratios with deposition under high average ion energies, and also with the dramatic reduction in contaminant elements (0, H). (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.