Microstructure and Physical Properties of Sputtered Metal Doped Nanocrystalline Structured Carbon Coatings

Abstract

Metal doped hydrogen free nanocrystalline structured carbon (Me:nc-C) films were synthesized by closed-field unbalanced magnetron sputtering system (CFUBM). The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the microstructure and physical properties of Me:nc-C films as a function of the amount of elemental doping. The film structures were examined by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. The physical properties of the Me:nc-C films were evaluated using a 4-point probe. The fraction of graphite clusters was found to be increased by titanium doping and the electrical resistivity decreased with increasing amount of doping.