Electrical and Structural Characterization of Sn-DLC Thin Films for Piezoresistive Sensors

Sn-DLC thin films were deposited by a dual magnetron sputtering system using a fixed DC power applied to a C target and a variable DC or HiPIMS power supply applied to a Sn target. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed the presence of larger Sn clusters on films deposited using HiPIMS compared with those deposited using DC power supply. The small resistivity of HiPIMS films can be related with the large Sn cluster and the elevated number of sp2 type bonding.