The effect of Argon ion irradiation on the thickness and structure of ultrathin amorphous carbon films

Carbon films synthesized by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) and filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) exhibit a layered structure consisting of a bottom (interface) and a top (surface) layer rich in sp² atomic carbon bonding and a middle (bulk) layer of much higher sp³ content. Because of significant differences in the composition, structure, and thickness of these layers, decreasing the film thickness may negatively affect its properties. In this study, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) were used to examine the effect of Ar⁺ ion irradiation on the structure and thickness of ultrathin films of hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) and hydrogen-free amorphous carbon (a-C) deposited by PECVD and FCVA, respectively. The TEM and EELS results show that 2-min ion irradiation decreases the film thickness without markedly changing the film structure and composition, whereas 4-min ion irradiation results in significant film thinning and a moderate decrease of the sp³ content of the bulk layer. This study demonstrates that Ar⁺ ion irradiation is an effective post-deposition process for reducing the thickness and tuning the structure of ultrathin carbon films. This capability has direct implications in the synthesis of ultrathin protective carbon overcoats for extremely high-density magnetic recording applications.