Effects of anode layer linear ion source on the microstructure and mechanical properties of amorphous carbon nitride films

In order to study the effects of anode layer linear ion source(ALLIS)on the microstructure and mechanical properties of amorphous carbon nitride (a-CNx) films, a-CNx films were deposited by the ALLIS assisted radio frequency magnetron sputtering (RFMS) deposition condition changing the ion source power from 0 to 200 W. The growth rate, structural morphology, surface roughness, nanohardness as well as the bonding states of deposited a-CNx films were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM), nanoindentation, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. The H/E and hardness increased relatively with increasing the ion source power up to 100 W. From the Micro Raman analysis, the content of sp3 carbon in sp3/sp2 ratio was increased with increasing the ion source power. The cross-sectional SEM images demonstrated that the ion source enhanced the growth rate of a-CNx films. Meanwhile, the roughness was increased with the ion source power above 100 W. Therefore, the optimum ion source power is considered to be around 100 W in these experimental conditions.