Abstract

An investigation of the dependence of the thermal stability of DLC (a-C:H) and silicon-modified DLC (a-C:H:Si) films on film-deposition conditions has been conducted. An interpretation based on plasma chemistry, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, confocal Raman spectroscopy and substrate-bias-voltage changes is proposed to explain the thermally induced structural modifications in the films between 200 and 600 degrees C. Our recent finding is expected to be beneficial to those designing thermal annealing schedules for reducing or eliminating residual stresses in the films.