Growth and characterization of carbon nitride thin films prepared by laser ablation

Abstract Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) has been systematically applied to determine the composition of carbon nitride thin films prepared by laser ablation at different substrate temperatures. The films were deposited onto silicon and aluminium substrates by irradiating a glassy graphite target with an ArF excimer laser (193 nm) in a reactive ammonia atmosphere. The characterization was completed with the additional analysis techniques Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and profilometry. The role of the substrate processing temperature on the film growth and properties is investigated. RBS measurements indicate that the concentration of nitrogen decreases from 23 to 9 at.%, as the temperature is increased up to 300°C. The infrared analyses show that nitrogen is bonded to carbon in different configurations (1300–1650 cm −1 ) and the presence of hydrogen in the layers forming CH x and NH x groups. For this new material, several calibration diagrams for often-used techniques, such as EDS and FTIR, are presented. The inverse absorption cross section of the CN vibration mode, as well as the calculation of the apparent activation energy of the process are reported.