Atomic constraint in hydrogenated "diamond-like" carbon

Abstract

Carbon bonding environments (measured by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy) and compressive stress in plasma-deposited hydrogenated diamond-like carbon (DLC) films have been examined systematically as a function of substrate bias voltage. These results are related in terms of random network theory to show that hard DLC formed in an intermediate voltage range (100-400 V) consists of small graphitic clusters linked in a random network which is stiffened by a high density of quaternary carbon.