Abstract
Carbon based materials were synthesized by using the filter cathodic arc plasma system, and extrinsic atoms, e.g. nitrogen, boron and fluorine elements were doped into the thin films in this study. Four types of carbon-related films were studied, they are: amorphous carbon (a-C), amorphous carbon nitride (a-C:N), boron doped amorphous carbon nitride (a-C:N:B) and fluorine doped amorphous carbon (a-C:F); their mechanical, electronic, optical properties and micro-structures are thoroughly discussed. Nano-crystalline diamond clusters were found to be embedded in the a-C:N film, which enhance the mechanical strength and affect the optical properties. Boron doped a-C:N (a-C:N:B) films affect the electrical field emission due to the degree of graphitization, surface morphology and acceptor effects. Not only Si wafer but also polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is flexible, were applied as the substrates upon which a-C:F films were successfully deposited. The transform of the surface morphology of the a-C:F film to the a-C:F nano-particles film by optimizing the parameters and by discussing the growth mechanism and optical properties. The result of cathodoluminescence measurements indicated that the a-C:N films produce the blue (~2.67 eV) and red light (~1.91 eV) while the boron doped a-C:N (a-C:N:B) films and the a-C films only generate the respective blue (~2.67 eV) and red light (~2.04 eV). The most prominent cathodoluminescence of the a-C:F films is the orange light (~2.03 eV) and red light (~1.97 eV), but the a-C:F nano-particles film exhibits several luminescences at 2.10, 2.03 and 1.97 eV. These luminescences are main due to the π-π* transition, extrinsic atom doping and the defect energy level.