XPS, XANES and ToF-SIMS Characterization of Reactively Magnetron-sputtered Carbon Nitride Films

• Published in: Surface and interface analysis 1997-09, Vol.25 (10), p.827-835
• Main Authors: Lopez, S., Dunlop, H. M., Benmalek, M., Tourillon, G., Wong, M.-S., Sproul, W. D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: AES; carbon nitride; Composition and phase identification; Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Deposition by sputtering; Exact sciences and technology; hybridization; magnetron-sputtered film; Materials science; Methods of deposition of films and coatings; film growth and epitaxy; Physics; PVD; Surfaces and interfaces; thin films and whiskers (structure and nonelectronic properties); Thin film structure and morphology; ToF-SIMS; XANES; XPS
• ISSN: 0142-2421; 1096-9918
• DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1096-9918(199709)25:10<827::AID-SIA331>3.0.CO;2-W

The existence of β‐C3N4 with hardness characteristics similar or better than diamond was predicted in 1990 by Liu and Cohen. Many studies have since been devoted to the synthesis of this compound. In the present work, carbon nitride films were deposited by various reactive magnetron sputtering processes of graphite targets in pure nitrogen and characterized by AES, XPS, x‐ray absorption near‐edge structure (XANES) and static time‐of‐flight SIMS (ToF‐SIMS). Various bonding states (single and double bond) are observed between carbon and nitrogen atoms and between carbon atoms but there is no evidence in the XANES results for either the presence of carbon–nitrogen triple bonds or a pyridine‐like ring structure. Surface N/C ratios were estimated to be close to 0.3. Carbon K‐edge XANES lineshapes, the C 1s plasmon‐loss structure and the calculated density (2.2 g cm‐3) indicate that the films are similar to diamond‐like carbon without long‐range ordering. The presence of CxNy fragments with 1⩽y