Deposition of smooth tetrahedral amorphous carbon thin films using a cathodic arc without a macroparticle filter

Abstract

It is shown that for a cathode consisting of compressed graphite powder, the cathodic arc discharge is confined within deep erosion holes and the macroparticle emission is greatly reduced. Electron energy loss spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy show that smooth tetrahedral amorphous carbon films with up to 85±10% sp³ bonding can be deposited without the use of magnetic filters. The new carbon arc discharge process holds potential for deposition of smooth tetrahedral amorphous carbon films on large area substrates due to the elimination of the magnetic filtering stage.