Investigation of metal/metal oxide self-assembled nanoclusters in diamond-like carbon films

• Main Author: Tay, Beng Kang
• Other Authors: School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
• Format: Research Report
• Language: English
• Published: 2008
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Electrical and electronic engineering::Electronic apparatus and materials
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/14527
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

In this project, several sets of metal and metal oxide containing diamond like carbon films were successfully deposited by using an FCVA system from metal/carbon composite targets. A systematical investigation of such films has been carried out. The metal composition in all a-C:Me films increased following the increase of metal composition in the composite targets and was always larger than that in the composite targets. The low melting point of metal in comparison with C was considered as one reason. Another possible reason was the self-sputtering yield difference for metal and C. The atomic weight of C was much lower than the metal and it was much easier to be sputtered. The XPS study also showed TiC was formed in the a-C:Ti films, and there was no carbide phase observed within a-C:Al and a-C:Ni films.