N1s electron binding energies of CNx thin films grown by magnetron sputtering at different temperature

Carbon nitride thin films deposited using dc unbalanced magnetron sputtering system have been analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy. The XPS data show that N1s binding states depend on substrate temperature T-s, in which the peak at 400.0 eV increases with T-s, whereas the peak at 398.3 eV decreases with T-s slightly. On the basis of XPS, FTIR and Raman spectra, the assignment of N1s electron binding energies was made. The peak at 400.0 eV is attributed to N atoms bonded to sp(2) coordinated C atoms. The peak at 398.3 eV is attributed to N atoms bonded to sp(3) coordinated C atoms as well as N-C bonds.