Carbon thin films deposition by KrF Pulsed Laser at different temperatures

The preparation of carbon thin films by Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) has received much attention, because this method produces films which do not contain hydrogen [1] and have unusual properties such as good adherence on a variety of substrates, very high hardness, chemical inertness, low friction coefficient and electrical resistivity. It is known that the film properties strongly depend on the deposition conditions, but there have been few studies on the correlation between the deposition parameters and the growth mechanism. Two major factors which determine the film growth are the substrate temperature and the properties of the deposited energetic species which depend on laser wavelength and fluence [2, 3]. These two factors control the atom mobility on the film surface and thereby determine the physical characteristics of the deposited films such as the optical indices and microstructure. Considering the ever-decreasing dimensions of electronic devices, producing self-assembled micro- and nano-structured material systems is becoming increasingly commercially important. There is also significant academic interest in these systems, as their properties can be remarkably different from those of the bulk material due to quantum-sized effects. Since the discovery of carbon nanotubes [4], there has been a dramatic increase in the volume of research into tubular and rod-like nano- and micro-scale materials. Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films possess superb mechanical properties such as high hardness and a low friction coefficient [5]. They have diverse applications and are widely used in cutting and forming industries, especially for processing non-ferrous and particularly hard-to-machine materials.