Elemental composition and electrical properties of (a-C:H):Cu films prepared by magnetron sputtering

Amorphous hydrogenated carbon films with varied copper concentration were prepared by dc co-sputtering of graphite and copper targets in an argon-hydrogen atmosphere. The relative atomic concentrations of carbon, copper, and oxygen were determined using proton Rutherford backscattering and the method of nuclear reactions. The dc conductivity of the films was studied in the in-plane and transverse geometries. The conductivity data are discussed in terms of the model of a medium in the form of a dielectric matrix containing two types of conducting inclusions in the form of graphite-like and copper nanoclusters. (C) 2000 MAIK "Nauka/Interperiodica".