A study on the deposition of DLC films by magnetron PECVD

Magnetron PECVD에 의한 DLC 박막의 제작에 관한 연구

Thin films of diamond-like carbon(DLC) have been deposited using a magnetron plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition(PECVD) method with an rf(13.56 MHz) plasma of $C_{3}H_{8}$. From the Langmuir probe I-V characteristics, it can be observed that increasing the magnetic field yields an increase of the temperature($T_e$) and density($N_e$) of electron. At a magnetic field of 82 Gauss, the estimated values of $T_e$ and $N_e$ are approximately $1.5\;{\times}\;10^5$ K(13.5 eV) and $1.3\;{\times}\;10^{11}\;cm^{-3}$, respectively. Such a highly dense plasma can be attributed to the enhanced ionization caused by the cyclotron motion of electrons in the presence of a magnetic field. On the other hand, the negative dc self-bias voltage($-V_{sb}$) decreases with an increasing magnetic field, which is irrespective of gas pressure in the range of $1{\sim}7$ mTorr. This result is well explained by a theoretical model considering the variation of $T_e$. Deposition rates of DLC films increases with a magnetic field. This may be due to the increased mean free path of electrons in the magnetron plasma. Structures of DLC films are examined by using various techniques such as FTIR and Raman spectroscopy. Most of hydrocarbon bonds in DLC films prepared consist of $sp^3$ tetrahedral bonds. Increasing the rf power leads to an enhancement of cross-linking of carbon atoms in DLC films. At approximately 140 W, the maximum film density obtained is about 2.4 $g/cm^3$.