Quaziamorphous Carbon and Carbon Nitride Films Deposited from the Plasma of Pulsed Cathodic Arc Discharge

Cathodic arc discharge allows deposition of hydrogen-free quaziamorphous carbon films with a wide range of properties. The amount of sp3-bonded fraction can be up to 80 at.%, depending on the deposition conditions. This paper presents a summary of the characterization of carbon and carbon nitride thin films prepared by the cathodic arc discharge method operating in pulsed mode. The influence of the discharge parameters on the films structure and properties is described. Partial attention is paid to the analysis of films by Raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. A comparison of results for different plasma sources design is conducted.