Structure and optical properties of carbon nitride films deposited by magnetron sputtering

Carbon nitride (CNx) thin films were deposited using RF magnetron sputtering technique of a graphite target in a pure N2 atmosphere at different RF power. Film composition was analysed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements correlated with infrared absorption, Raman spectroscopy, optical transmission and photothermal deflection spectroscopy experiments. The observed variation of the optical properties are attributed to the changes in the atomic bonding structures, which were induced by ion bombardment, increasing both the sp2 carbon content and their relative disorder.