Deposition of a-C:H films on inner surface of high-aspect-ratio microchannel

Hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) films were prepared on inner surface of 100-μm-width microchannel by using a bipolar-type plasma based ion implantation and deposition. The microchannel was fabricated using a silicon plate, and two kinds of microchannels were prepared, namely, with a bottom layer (open at one end) and without a bottom layer (open at both ends). The distribution of thickness and hardness of films was evaluated by SEM and nanoindentation measurements, respectively, and the microstructures of films were evaluated by Raman spectroscopy. Furthermore, the behavior of ions and radicals was analyzed simultaneously by combining the calculation methods of Particle-In-Cell/Monte Carlo Collision and Direct Simulation Monte Carlo to investigate the coating mechanism for the microchannel. It was found that the film thickness decreased as the depth of the coating position increased in the microchannels where it is open at one end. The uniformity of the film thickness improved by increasing the nega...