X-ray photoemission spectroscopy of nitrogen-doped UNCD/a-C:H films prepared by pulsed laser deposition

Nitrogen-doped ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD)/hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) films were deposited by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Nitrogen contents in the films were controlled by varying a ratio in the inflow amount between nitrogen and hydrogen gases. The film doped with a nitrogen content of 7.9 at.% possessed n-type conduction with an electrical conductivity of 18 Ω− 1 cm− 1 at 300 K. X-ray photoemission spectra, which were measured using synchrotron radiation, were decomposed into four component spectra due to sp2, sp3 hybridized carbons, C=N and C–N. A full-width at half-maximum of the sp3 peak was 0.91 eV. This small value is specific to UNCD/a-C:H films. The sp2/(sp3 + sp2) value was enhanced from 32 to 40% with an increase in the nitrogen content from 0 to 7.9 at.%. This increment probably originates from the nitrogen incorporation into an a-C:H matrix and grain boundaries of UNCD crystallites. Since an electrical conductivity of a-C:H does not dramatically enhance for this doping amount according to previous reports, we believe that the electrical conductivity enhancement is predominantly due to the nitrogen incorporation into grain boundaries.