Metal-carbon-metal structures were fabricated using either gold or aluminum evaporated electrodes and rf plasma (methane) deposited ‘‘diamondlike’’ carbon films. ac-conductance and capacitance versus voltage and frequency (10 Hz to 13 MHz) data were taken to determine the dielectric properties of these films. Conductance versus frequency data fit a generalized power law, consistent with both dc and hopping conduction components. The capacitance versus frequency data are well matched to the conductance versus frequency data, as predicted by a Kramers-Kronig analysis. The dielectric loss tangent is nearly constant at 0.5 to 1.0% over the frequency range from 1 to 100 kHz. The dc resistivity is above 1013 Ω cm, and the dc breakdown strength is above 8×106 V/cm in properly prepared samples.

An rf plasma deposition system was used to prepare amorphous ‘‘diamondlike’’ carbon films. The source gases for the rf system include methane, ethylene, propane, and propylene, and the parameters varied were power, dc substrate bias, and postdeposition anneal temperature. Films were deposited on various substrates. The main diagnostics were optical absorption in the visible and in the infrared, admittance as a function of frequency, hardness, and Auger and ESCA spectroscopy. Band gap is found to depend strongly on rf power level and band gaps up to 2.7 eV and hardness up to 7 Mohs were found. There appears to be an inverse relationship between hardness and optical band gap.

No abstract

No abstract

Articles you may be interested inFabrication and characterization of metal-insulator-semiconductor structures by direct nitridation of InP surfaces Appl. Phys. Lett. 96, 012107 (2010); 10.1063/1.3269906 Thermal and electric field induced defects in InP metalinsulatorsemiconductor structuresInterfacial effects due to tunneling to insulator gap states in amorphous carbon on silicon metalinsulator semiconductor structures