Studies of carbon nitride thin films synthesized by KrF excimer laser ablation of graphite in a nitrogen atmosphere

Carbon nitride thin films were deposited on silicon wafers by pulsed KrF excimer laser (wavelength 248 nm, duration 23 ns) ablation of graphite in a nitrogen atmosphere. Different excimer laser fluences and pressures of the nitrogen atmosphere were used in order to achieve a nitrogen content as high as possible in the deposited thin films. Fourier transform infrared and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopies were used to identify the binding structure and the content of the nitrogen species in the deposited thin films. The N/C ratio 0.42 was obtained at an excimer laser fluence of 0.8 J cm(-2) at a repetition rate of 10 Hz under a nitrogen pressure of P-N = 100 mTorr. A high content of C=N double bond instead of C=N triple band was indicated in the deposited thin films. Ellipsometry was used to analyze the optical properties of the deposited thin films. The carbon nitride thin films have amorphous-semiconductorlike characteristics with an optical band gap E-opt of 0.42 eV. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(98)07817-7].