Characterization of nanocomposite a-C:H/Ag thin films synthesized by a hybrid deposition process

Silver containing amorphous carbon films were deposited on Si wafer using a hybrid deposition process combining d.c. magnetron sputtering and PECVD. The concentration of Ag in the films was varied from 1.3 to 8.3 at % by changing d.c. magnetron current of Ag target. The influence of incorporated Ag in the a-C:H on the atomic bond structure of the films were investigated by XPS, FTIR, Raman, and HRTEM methods of analysis. The XPS, FTIR, and Raman studies demonstrated that as the silver concentration increased in the a-C:H, sp2 bonding content increased and a-C:H films changed to more graphitic structure. The high resolution TEM cross sectional studies revealed that crystalline Ag particles formed with a size in the range of 2-4 nm throughout an amorphous a-C:H matrix.