Dielectric properties of ‘‘diamondlike’’ carbon prepared by rf plasma deposition

Abstract

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.

Physical and chemical properties of amorphous hydrogenated carbon films deposited by PECVD in a low self-bias range

“…It is much more lower that ta-C elastic modulus which can be 757 GPa, with a sp 3 CAC ratio of about 88% [19]. It is also very low compared to 1144 GPa, the diamond Young modulus.…”

“…These final resulting properties mostly depend on the specific deposition conditions and seem to be determined from the hydrogen concentration along with the relative ratio of hybridized carbon bonds, mainly, tetrahedral sp 3 and trigonal sp 2 . For example, it is commonly accepted that the graphitic sp 2 clusters are embedded in the amorphous sp 3 matrix, where the collective behavior of sp 2 sites is responsible for the optical and electrical properties [9]. In the case of PECVD technique, it is well-known that the hydrogen content and sp 3 /sp 2 ratio of a-C:H films is mainly ruled by the energy of the ions coming from the plasma and accelerated across the sheath [10,11].…”

“…The a-C:H thin films are of special interest in numerous applications since their properties such as high electrical resistivity [3], high mechanical hardness [4,5], optical transparency [6] as well as chemical inertness are close to those of diamonds. These materials have also recently gained renewed interest by their field emission applications [7,8].…”

Electrical and magnetic properties of electrodeposited nickel incorporated diamond-like carbon thin films

“…Here we also aim to study the magnetic properties of our magnetic metal particle incorporated Ni-DLC thin films for its potential magnetic applications. Ni-DLC films may find usage in optoelectronics and in magnetic devices [30,31,36,37]. It is possible to control the size of incorporated metal particles inside DLC matrix [36,37].…”

“…They demonstrated that the film permittivity increased significantly by the introduction of Mo, and a sharp decrease in permittivity occurred at low frequencies. The study of dielectric properties of DLC and Me-DLC films are scientifically important as they provide greater insight into material characteristics and their dependence on frequency is practically useful due to their potential usage in integrated circuit [31].…”