Raman scattering characterization of a carbon coating after low-energy argon ion bombardment

The characteristic of Raman scattering spectra of a carbon coating, which was modified by radio frequency argon plasma, has been investigated. The argon ion bombardment causes changes in the microstructure and amount of stress in the coating. Raman scattering spectra are discussed in terms of intensity, bandwidth and wavenumber. The evolvement of Raman spectra shows the following behavior with increasing bombardment time: the intensity changes of the disordered D band, amorphous D″D″ band and graphite G band could be separated into several stages; low-energy argon ion bombardment over a short period can reduce the number of defects in the carbon coating, while a larger bombardment period can increase the number of defects; the widths of the D and G bands both increase, while that of the D″D″ band decreases; the wavenumbers of all the three bands fluctuate according to the changes in electronic configuration and amount of stress in the carbon coating.