AVS 49th International Symposium
    Nanometer Structures Wednesday Sessions
       Session NS-WeM

Paper NS-WeM2
Growth, Microstructure and Properties of Fullerene-Like Carbon Nitride Thin Solid Films Deposited by DC Magnetron Sputtering

Wednesday, November 6, 2002, 8:40 am, Room C-207

Session: Nanostructured Materials
Presenter: Zs. Czigány, Linköping University, Sweden
Authors: Zs. Czigány, Linköping University, Sweden
J. Neidhardt, Linköping University, Sweden
I.F. Brunell, Linköping University, Sweden
L. Hultman, Linköping University, Sweden
Correspondent: Click to Email
Fullerene-like CN@sub x@ (x @<=@ 0.2), as an inherently nanostructured material, were deposited as thin solid films by reactive magnetron sputtering of graphite in a nitrogen and argon discharge. The films were characterized by HRTEM, EELS, XPS and nanoindentation. Most fullerene allotrope synthesis is completed in the gas phase at high temperatures and the resulting material does not form a dense solid film. In comparison, the route to fullerene-like material presented here is by continuous surface nucleation and growth of curved basal planes at relatively low temperature. Plasma characterization revealed low flux of low energy species in the deposition flux with high portion of reactive complexes (e.g., CN, C@sub 2@N, C@sub 2@N@sub 2@). In the fullerene-like structures N substitutes for C and reduces the energy barrier to form pentagons in graphite sheets, thus inducing curvature of the basal planes. N also increases the reactivity of the neighboring C atoms, thus promoting sp@super 3@ cross-linking between C atoms in neighboring fullerene domains and provides solid CN@sub x@ films with high elasticity. TEM imaging of fullerene-like structures in a thin solid film form gives rise to difficulties compared to isolated fullerene features. Sample preparation methods for artefact-free specimens with thickness compatible with the characteristic feature size of fullerene-like domains will be discussed.