Characterization of thin films by filtered cathodic vacuum arc technology

Nanocomposite amorphous carbon (a-C:Me) films including a-C:Ni,a-C:Co,a-C:Ti,a-C:W,a-C:Fe,a-C:Al,anda-C:Si films were deposited using metal-carbon composite target by filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) technique. Atomic force microscopy(AFM), Raman, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to characterize themorphologyand structure ofthe films. Nanoindenter and surface profilometer were used to determine the hardness, Young's modulus, and internal stress. Contact angle and field emission experiments were used to study the surface energy and field emission properties of the films respectively. The influence of the type of elements and its composition in the target on the structural, mechanical, surface energy, and field emission properties were studied