Etching of Photon Energy into Binding Energy in Depositing Carbon Films at Different Chamber Pressures

Abstract: A hot filament chemical vapor deposition is an attractive technique to deposit carbon films of different applications. In this technique, it is also feasible to study the influence of chamber pressure in the deposition of carbon films. In the deposition chamber, having dissociated from the methane precursor, gaseous carbon atoms first convert into the graphite state atoms and then into the diamond state atoms. An increase in the chamber pressure changes the morphology and structure of the deposited carbon films. The growth rate of the deposited carbon film increases by increasing the chamber pressure from 3.3 kPa to 8.6 kPa. The rate of converting gaseous carbon atoms into diamond atoms also increases. At 11.3 kPa and 14 kPa chamber pressure, gaseous carbon atoms convert into graphite state atoms at a high rate. The gas activation and gas collision processes vary broadly at varying chamber pressure. The morphology and structure of carbon films got deposited at different growth rates. The dissociation of molecular hydrogen into atomic hydrogen varies by varying the chamber pressure. Atomic hydrogen etched the photons released from the hot filaments. Thus, bits of differently shaped energy result. Gaseous carbon atoms convert into graphite and diamond state atoms under suitably shaped bits of energy. Graphite state atoms bind under the same involved bits, which is not the case when the diamond state atoms bind. The study sets a new trend in depositing, characterizing, and analyzing carbon films.