Carbon nitride films deposited by reactive laser ablation

Carbon nitride films were deposited at 20, 250 and 500 degrees C on [111] Si substrates by XeCl laser ablation of graphite in low pressure (1-50 Pa) N(2) atmosphere at fluences of 12 and 16 J/cm(2). Different diagnostic techniques (SEM, TEM, RBS, XPS, XRD) were used to characterize the deposited films. Films resulted plane and well adhesive to their substrates. N/C atomic ratios up to 0.7 were inferred from RBS measurements in films deposited at 20 degrees C and 16 J/cm(2). Nitrogen concentration increases with increasing ambient pressure and laser fluence. The N 1s peak of the XPS spectra indicate two different bonding states of nitrogen atoms to C atoms, while the C 1s peak, apart from the two bonding states to nitrogen atoms, indicates one bonding state with regard to carbon atoms. XRD and TEM analyses point to an oriented microcrystalline structure of the films. Heating of the substrate results in a lower nitrogen concentration in respect of films deposited at 20 degrees C in otherwise identical experimental conditions. Optical emission studies of the laser plasma plume indicate a correlation between the emission intensity of the CN radicals in the plume and the nitrogen atom concentration in the films. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.