The influence of nanosecond pulse laser irradiation on the properties of a-C:H films

Plasma-deposited amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H) films are determined both by the carbon sp3/sp2 bonding ratio and the hydrogen content. As the energy of the bonds C-H (C-C) is considerably smaller than that of CC or CC bonds, so the hydrogen concentration and the physical properties of a-C:H films can be varied by laser irradiation. The properties of produced films were investigated by Rutherford backscattering (RBS) and elastic recoil detection (ERD) spectroscopy, null-ellipsometry, and Raman spectroscopy (RS). It was found that films with higher hydrogen concentration are more sensitive to nanosecond pulse laser irradiation.