Parametric dependence of the properties of pulsed-laser-deposited diamond-like carbon films

The properties of Pulsed-Laser-Deposited Diamond-Like Carbon (PLD DLC) films are studied as functions of the power density and the wavelength of the laser beam, and the incident angle of the beam relative to the normal of the target surface. All the films have a similar structure consisting of graphite particulates embedded in a continuous matrix, so the macroscopic performance of the films is determined by the overall contributions of the particulates and the matrix. The use of higher, shorter, or larger leads to an enhancement of the diamond-like characteristics and a simultaneous increase of the particulate density. These two effects give opposite contributions to the electrical conductivity _R, leading to the following results. (i) _R drops with increasing in the low range (region I) due to the stronger diamond-like nature of the matrix, but increases sharply after has exceeded a threshold _min as a result of the rapid increase in particulate density. (ii) In region I, the use of shorter or larger leads to a more diamond-like matrix, and this overwhelms the degradation effect caused by the slight increase in particulate density. The samples thus become more insulating. In the high region (region II), however, the use of shorter or larger gives rise to higher particulate density, thereby increasing the electrical conductivity.