Mechanism of high growth rate for diamond-like carbon films synthesized by helicon wave plasma chemical vapor deposition
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Abstract
A high growth rate fabrication of diamond-like carbon (DLC) films at room temperature was achieved by helicon wave plasma chemical vapor deposition (HWP-CVD) using Ar/CH4 gas mixtures. The microstructure and morphology of the films were characterized by Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The diagnosis of plasma excited by a helicon wave was measured by optical emission spectroscopy and a Langmuir probe. The mechanism of high growth rate fabrication for DLC films by HWP-CVD has been discussed. The growth rate of the DLC films reaches a maximum value of 54 μmh-1 at the CH4 flow rate of 85 sccm, which is attributed to the higher plasma density during the helicon wave plasma discharge. The CH and Hα radicals play an important role in the growth of DLC films. The results show that the Hα radicals are beneficial to the formation and stabilization of C=C bond from sp2 to sp3.
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