Electrical properties of pulsed UV laser irradiated amorphous carbon

Abstract

Amorphous carbon films containing no hydrogen were irradiated with a pulsed UV laser in vacuum. Raman spectroscopy indicates an increase in the quantity of s p2 clustering with the highest laser energy density and a commensurate reduction in resistivity. The reduction of resistivity is explained to be associated with thermally induced graphitization of amorphous carbon films. The high field transport is consistent with a Poole-Frenkel type transport mechanism via neutral trapping centers related to s p2 sites which are activated under high fields. Decreasing the resistivity is an important feature for use of carbon as an electronic material. © 2008 American Institute of Physics.