Spectroscopy of DLC Films Deposited with a Hydrogen-Free Technique

DLC films were deposited from hydrocarbon vapors with an ECR-assisted MW plasma technique. The pressure in the vacuum chamber (0.03 to 1 Pa) and the substrate stage-ECR zone distance, were varied during the deposition process. In-situ temperature control indicated that the substrate spontaneous heating by plasma action did not exceed 400 K. The reactants were acetone CeHeO, propanol-2 C 3 H 8 0 and halogen-containing hydrocarbons. The main feature of the technique is that it avoids gaseous hydrogen application. The films as-deposited can be subdivided into two types: “transparent” films, deposited from acetone and propanol-2 and “black” films, obtained with chlorine-containing hydrocarbons vapors. All films appear to be amorphous. The hardness of the deposited DLC films is higher than 25 Gpa and their mass densities differ considerably: 1.3-1.5 g/cm 3 for “transparent” films and about 2.9 g/cm 3 for “black” films.