Electrochemical Behaviour of Sputtering Deposited DLC Films

Diamondlike carbon (DLC) films were deposited via magnetron sputtering process. The energetic ion hombardment on the surface of growing film is one of the major parameters that control the atom mobility on the flirt1 surface and further the physical and chemical characteristics of the films. In this study, the energy of carbon ions was monitored by changing sputtering powerdensity, and its effect on the electrochemical performance of the films was investigated. For the deposition at a higher sputtering power density, a higher sp^3 content in the DLC films was achieved with denser structure and increased film-substrate adhesion. The impedance at the interface of Si substrate/sulfufic acid solution was significantly enhanced, and at the same time higher film resistance, lower capacitance, higher breakdown potential and longer breakdown time were observed, which were related to the significant sp^3 content of the DLC films.

Diamondlike carbon (DLC) films were deposited via magnetron sputtering process. The energetic ion bombardment on the surface of growing film is one of the major parameters that control the atom mobility on the film surface and further the physical and chemical characteristics of the films. In this study, the energy of carbon ions was monitored by changing sputtering power density, and its effect on the electrochemical performance of the films was investigated. For the deposition at a higher sputtering power density, a higher sp3 content in the DLC films was achieved with denser structure and increased film-substrate adhesion. The impedance at the interface of Si substrate/sulfuric acid solution was significantly enhanced, and at the same time higher film resistance, lower capacitance, higher breakdown potential and longer breakdown time were observed, which were related to the significant sp3 content of the DLC films.