Ions as a useful tool for carbon film deposition and modification

This work demonstrates the potential of inert ions as a useful tool for carbon film deposition and modification. At first, the possibility of using a computer controlled ion assisted evaporation (IAE) system for a systematic investigation of carbon film formation will be discussed. For a better understanding of growth mechanisms the particle fluxes to the substrate were studied with ion probes and quadrupole mass spectroscopy. The effect of the additional ion bombardment on the resulting films (surface topography, microstructure and microhardness) is shown. The results will be discussed in the light of possible ion-solid interactions affecting the growth. Furthermore, the ion-based modification of the surface topography, bulk and surface structure is shown. An example demonstrates the potential of ion induced patterning of diamond resulting in an enhanced cold field emission current.