The effect of O2 on the quality of diamondlike films formed in a cathodic arc plasma deposition

Abstract Amorphous diamondlike films are deposited on Si wafer at temperature lower than 300°C in a cathodic arc plasma deposition (CAPD) system. Graphite plate with density 1.9 g/cm 3 was employed as the cathode target and the carbon source. NdFeB magnets with 1000 G strength were installed behind the graphite target to steer the motion of arc spots on graphite. The arc current was selected as low as 55 A in order to minimize the emission of microparticles from graphite target. The arc spots observed were moving steadily on the graphite target with a speed of about 1.5 cm/s. O 2 Ar gas mixtures were introduced into CAPD system and the total pressure was controlled to be 10 mTorr. The effects of the addition of O 2 , the rf self-bias ( V B ) applied to Si wafer and the deposition temperature ( T S ) on the quality of diamondlike films were investigated. It is concluded that the addition of O 2 is the key factor that contributed to the quality improvement of diamondlike films. The higher the partial pressure of O 2 , the more significant is the influence of V B and T S on the quality improvement of diamondlike films.