Structural Disorder in Hard Amorphous Carbon Films Implanted with Nitrogen Ions

Hard amorphous hydrogenated carbon films deposited by self-bias glow discharge were implanted at room temperature with 70 keV-nitrogen ions at fluences between 2.0 and 9.0 {times} 10{sup 16} N/cm{sup 2}. The implanted samples were analyzed by Raman spectroscopy, SIMS and positron annihilation spectroscopy (Doppler broadening technique with the determination of the parameter S). For samples implanted with 2.0 {times} 10{sup 16} N/cm{sup 2} the S parameter follows the vacancies depth profile predicted by Monte Carlo simulation. For higher fluences the authors observed a reduction in the measured value of S. This result is discussed in terms of both hydrogen loss and structural modifications (increase of disorder at local scale and of the number of graphitic domains) induced in the carbon film by ion implantation.