Effect of nitrogen ion irradiation parameters on properties of nitrogen-containing carbon coatings prepared by pulsed vacuum arc deposition method

Studies of the effect of nitrogen ion irradiation on the structure and properties of nitrogenated amorphous carbon coatings prepared on polished sitall and silicon substrates by the pulsed vacuum arc deposition method are presented. The techniques used in the investigations were electron energy loss spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The elemental composition of the coatings was estimated by secondary ion mass spectrometry. It has been found that an increase in the intensity of nitrogen ion irradiation of a carbon nitrogen-containing coating results in an increase in its electrical conductivity, decreases in internal stresses, density, and modulus of elasticity, and also changes in the structure and morphology of the surface. In an additional experiment with a thin a-C:N layer the absence of nitrogen diffusion in a-C during annealing at the temperature up to 1000 °C was confirmed.