ELECTRICAL AND CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF A-C-H PREPARED BY RF GLOW-DISCHARGE

Presented are the results of a systematic study of the effects of reactor pressure and rf power level on the electrical and chemical characteristics of a-C:H films prepared by glow discharge. Electrical resistivity has been found to increase rapidly with decreasing reactor pressure. This increase in electrical resistivity corresponded to an increase in the sp3 bonding content of the film. This composition change has been attributed to increased ion bombardment energy and greater time for adatom surface migration. Electrical resistivity decreased with rf power level. The sp2 bonding content of the film decreased while the sp3 bonding content increased with rf power level. The resistivity change and corresponding composition change could not be explained with the present model.