NEXAFS study on substrate temperature dependence of DLC films formed by Ar cluster ion beam assisted deposition

Abstract For the optimization of the synthesis condition of the production of diamond-like carbon (DLC) thin films by Ar gas cluster ion beam (GCIB) assisted deposition of fullerene, the local structure of DLC thin films was investigated by measuring near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectra of the carbon K -edge over the excitation energy range 275–320 eV, using synchrotron radiation. The DLC thin films were formed by GCIB assisted deposition at substrate temperatures ranging from room temperature to 250 °C. The sp 2 content estimated from the analysis of the peak corresponding to the transition of the excitation electron from a carbon 1s orbital to a π * orbital was found to increase with the substrate temperature during GCIB assisted deposition.