Optical properties of ultrananocrystalline diamond/amorphous carbon composite films prepared by pulsed laser deposition

Ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD)/amorphous carbon (a-C) composite thin films were grown in ambient hydrogen by pulsed laser deposition using a graphite target, and their optical properties were determined by optical absorption spectroscopy and Raman scattering spectroscopy. Three optical bandgaps exist. Two bandgaps are indirect and their values were estimated to be 1.0 eV and 5.4 eV; these bandgaps correspond to the a-C surrounding the UNCDs and the UNCDs respectively. The third bandgap is direct and has a value of 2.2 eV, which significantly contributes to a large absorption coefficient, (106 cm− 1 at 3.0 eV). Possible origins of the third bandgaps are the grain boundaries (GBs) between the UNCDs and the a-C since they are specific to the UNCD/a-C composite films. The infrared absorption spectrum and the Raman scattering spectrum revealed the incorporation of hydrogen in the GBs. The hydrogen incorporated in the GBs might also have some influence on the appearance of the direct bandgap and its value.