Electrical properties of nitrogen incorporated tetrahedral amorphous carbon films

The electrical properties of nitrogen incorporated tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C:N) films studied by Hall measurements over the range of 15-300 K were reported. Results indicated that the electrical properties of ta-C:N films are related to nitrogen pressure, which was the only variable during film deposition. The electrical resistivity of the ta-C:N films decreases with nitrogen pressure, accompanied by an increase of nitrogen concentration in the films. The influence of thermal annealing on the electrical properties of ta-C:N films was also investigated. The variation of the electrical properties of ta-C:N films may arise from the development of graphite-like structures in these films due to the incorporated nitrogen and annealing effects. (C) 1999 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.