Time-resolved observation of deposition process of ultrananocrystalline diamond/hydrogenated amorphous carbon composite films in pulsed laser deposition

Optical emission spectroscopy was used to study pulsed laser ablation of graphite in a hydrogen atmosphere wherein ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD)/hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) composite films were grown on heated substrates. Time-resolved photographs of a plume that expanded from a laser-irradiation spot toward a substrate were taken using a high-speed ICCD camera equipped with narrow-bandpass filters. While the emissions from C atoms and C 2 dimers lasted above the laser-irradiation spot on the target, the emission from C + ions lasted above the substrate surface for approximately 7 microseconds, although the emission lifetime of species is generally approximately 10 nanoseconds. This implies that C + ions actively collided with each other above the substrate surface for such a long time. We believe that the keys to UNCD growth in PLD are the supply of highly energetic carbon species at a high density to the substrate and existence of atomic hydrogen during the growth.