Raman spectrum study of graphite irradiated by swift heavy ions

Highly oriented pyrolytic graphites are irradiated with 40.5-Me V and 67.7-Me V ^112Sn-ions in a wide range of fluences： 1×10^11 ions/cm^2–1×10^14ions/cm^2. Raman spectra in the region between 1200 cm^-1 and 3500cm^-1 show that the disorder induced by Sn-ions increases with ion fluence increasing. However, for the same fluence, the amount of disorder is greater for 40.5-Me V Sn-ions than that observed for 67.7-Me V Sn-ions, even though the latter has a slightly higher value for electronic energy loss. This is explained by the ion velocity effect. Importantly, ～ 3-cm^-1frequency shift toward lower wavenumber for the D band and ～ 6-cm^-1 shift toward lower wavenumber for the 2D band are observed at a fluence of 1×10^14 ions/cm^2, which is consistent with the scenario of radiation-induced strain. The strain formation is interpreted in the context of inelastic thermal spike model, and the change of the 2D band shape at high ion fluence is explained by the accumulation of stacking faults of the graphene layers activated by radiation-induced strain around ion tracks. Moreover,the hexagonal structure around the ion tracks is observed by scanning tunneling microscopy, which confirms that the strains near the ion tracks locally cause electronic decoupling of neighboring graphene layers.     

Co+离子注入单晶TiO2铁磁性来源与微结构研究

在室温下,将能量为80 keV, 注量分别为1×1016和1×1017ions/cm2的Co+离子注入到10 mm×10 mm×0.5 mm的单晶TiO₂样品。在氮气保护下, Co+离子注量为1×1017 ions/cm2时样品在温度为900 ℃的条件下退火30 min。 利用超导量子干涉仪 （SQUID）测量样品磁性, 并应用X射线衍射（XRD）和扩展边X射线吸收精细结构谱（EXAFS）研究Co+离子注入后样品的微观结构。 样品磁性测量结果表明:Co+离子注入后的样品具有室温铁磁性, 并且其饱和磁化强度的大小与Co+离子注量及样品是否经退火处理有关。 EXAFS研究表明: Co元素在Co+离子注量为1×1017ions/cm2的样品中主要以团簇形式存在;样品经退火处理后, Co团簇消失, 并发现Co部分替代TiO₂单晶中的Ti。Co+离子注入后, 在样品中形成Co团簇与否受离子注量的影响。 阐述了样品微观结构与铁磁性来源之间的关系。 At room temperature, monocrystalline plates of rutile (TiO₂) were implanted with cobalt ions of an energy of 80 keV to fluences of 1×1016 and 1×1017 ions/cm2 respectively . The 1×1017 ions/cm2 Co implanted samples were annealed in nitrogen at 900 ℃ for 30 min. The magnetic properties of Co implanted samples were measured with a superconducting quantum interference device magnetometer (SQUID) at room temperature. Furthermore, the X ray diffraction (XRD) and Extended X ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) were applied to investigate the structural and compositional properties of Co implanted samples. The magnetic measurements of samples showed that the size of the saturation magnetization of the Co implanted samples were related to the fluence of ions, and the saturation magnetization of the sample after annealed decreased significantly. The EXAFS measurements showed the presence of cobalt metallic clusters in the sample implanted to ion fluence of 1×1017 ions/cm2. The Co metallic clusters disappeared in the sample after annealed, and resulted in the oxidized Co, which is presumed to substitute into the Ti site. The formation of Co clusters or not was determined by the ion fluence. The relation between ferromagnetic behavior and microscopic structure of the Co implanted samples is discussed.     

Phase transition and pitting corrosion behaviour for Mo—implanted aluminium

Molybdenum ions are implanted into aluminium with high ion flux and high dose at elevated temperatures of 200℃, 400℃ and 500℃. Due to the high temperature and high flux of vacancies and interstitial atoms, the atom diffusion and chemical effects are enhanced during the ion implantation. The effects increase with increasing ion flux and dose, so that new phase formation and phase transition emerge noticeably. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that when the aluminium is implanted with Mo ions at a low ion flux (25μA/cm²), the Al₅Mo alloy is formed. The atomic ratio of Mo/Al of the Al₅Mo phase is close to 20%. When the aluminium is implanted with Mo ions at a high ion flux (50μA/cm²), the phase transition from Al₅Mo to Al₁₂Mo appears, and the latter is dominant, which is determined to be the final phase. The ratio of Mo/Al in Al₁₂Mo is 7.7%. Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy indicates also that the Mo/Al atom ratio is ～7% to ～8% in Mo-implanted aluminium. The atomic ratios of the constituents in Al₅Mo and Al₁₂Mo are of stoichiometric composition for these alloys. The thicknesses of the Al₁₂Mo alloy layers for Mo-implanted Al with ion doses of 3×10¹⁷/cm² and 1×10¹⁸/cm² are 550nm and 2000nm, respectively. The pitting corrosion potential V_p increases obviously. It is clear that due to the formation of Al₁₂Mo alloy layer, the pitting corrosion resistance is enhanced.     

Optical and magnetic properties of nitrogen ion implanted MgO single crystal

The microstructure,optical property and magnetism of nitrogen ion implanted single MgO crystals are studied. A parallel investigation is also performed in an iron ion implanted single MgO sample as a reference. Large structural,optical and magnetic differences are obtained between the nitrogen and iron implanted samples. Room temperature ferromagnetism with a fairly large coercivity field of 300 Oe (1Oe=79.5775 A/m),a remanence of 38% and a slightly changed optical absorption is obtained in the sample implanted using nitrogen with a dose of 1×1018 ions/cm2 . Tran- sition metal contamination and defects induced magnetism can be excluded when compared with those of the iron ion implanted sample,and the nitrogen doping is considered to be the main origin of ferromagnetism.     

Implant Depth Influence on InGaAsP/InP Double Quantum Well Intermixing Induced by Phosphorus Ion Implantation

We investigate quantum well intermixing of a double-quantum-well structure caused by phosphorus ion implantation by means of photoluminescence （PL）. The ion implantation is performed at the energy of 120keV with the dose ranging from 1 × 10^11 to 1 × 10^14/cm^2. The rapid thermal annealing is performed at the temperature of 700℃ for 30s under pure nitrogen protection. The PL measurement shows that the band gap blueshift is influenced by the depth of ion implantation. The blueshift of the upper well which is closer to the implanted wcancies is enhanced with the ion dose faster than that from a lower well under the lower dose implantation （〈 5 × 10^11/cm^2）. When the ion dose is over 10^12/cm^2, the band gap blueshift from both the wells increases with the ion dose and finally the two peaks combine together as one peak, indicating that the ion implantation results in a total intermixing of both the quantum wells.     

离子注入/辐照引起Al2O3单晶的改性研究

600K温度下用110keV的He^＋,Ne^＋,Ar^＋离子注入及320K温度下用230MeV的^208Pb^27＋辐照Al2O3单晶样品,研究了离子注入和辐照对Al2O3单晶样品结构和光学特性的影响。从测得的光致发光谱可以清楚地看到,所有样品在波长为375,413和450nm处出现了强的发光峰。且所有5×10^16ion／cm^2注入样品的发光峰均最强。经过高能Pb辐照后的样品,在390nm处出现了新的发光峰。透射电镜分析发现在注入氖样品100nm入射深度以内形成了高浓度的小空洞（1-2nm）,在Ne沉积区域有少量大空洞形成。傅立叶变换红外光谱分析发现,波数在460-510cm^-1间的振动吸收带经过离子辐照后展宽,随着辐照量的增大,该振动吸收强度显著减弱。1000—1300cm^-1对应Al-O-Al桥氧伸缩振动模式的吸收带,辐照后向高波数方向移动。对离子注入和辐照对Al2O3单晶样品结构损伤机理进行了初步探讨。Single crystal sapphire （Al2O3 ） samples were implanted at 600 K by He, Ne and Ar ions with energy of 110 keV to doses ranging from 5 × 10^16 to 2× 10^17 ion/cm^2 or irradiated at 320 K by ^208Pb^27＋ ion with energy of 1.1 MeV/u to the fluences ranging from 1 × 10^12 to 5 × 10^14 ion/cm^2. The modification of structure and optical properties induced by ion implantation or irradiation were analyzed by using photoluminescence（PL） and Fourier transformation infrared spectrum（FIR） spectra and transmission electron microscopy（ TEM ） measurements. The PL measurements showed that absorption peaks located at 375,413 and 450 nm appeared in all the implanted or irradiated samples, the PL intensities reached up to the maximum for the 5 × 10^16 ion/cm^2 implanted samples. After Pb-ion irradiation, a new peak located at 390 nm formed. TEM analyses showed that small size voids,（ 1--2 nm） with high density were formed in the region from the surface till to about 100 nm in depth and also large size Nebubble formed in the Ne-doped region. From the obtained FTIR spectra, it was found that Pb-ion irradiation induced broadening of the absorption band in 460-510 cm^-1 and position shift of the absorption band in 1 000- 1 300 cm^- 1 towards to high wavenumber. The possible damage mechanism in single crystal sapphire induced by energetic ion implantation or irradiation was briefly discussed.     

Modification of Fe/Cu multilayers under 400 keV Xe20+ irradiation

Two kinds of Fe/Cu multilayers with different modulation wavelength were deposited on cleaved Si(100) substrates and then irradiated at room temperature using 400 keV Xe²⁰⁺ in a wide range of irradiation fluences. As a comparison, thermal annealing at 300—900℃ was also carried out in vacuum. Then the samples were analyzed by XRD and the evolution of crystallite structures induced by irradiation was investigated. The obtained XRD patterns showed that, with increase of the irradiation fluence, the peaks of Fe became weaker, the peaks related to Cu-based fcc solid solution and Fe-based bcc solid solution phase became visible and the former became strong gradually. This implied that the intermixing at the Fe/Cu interface induced by ion irradiation resulted in the formation of the new phases which could not be achieved by thermal annealing. The possible intermixing mechanism of Fe/Cu multilayers induced by energetic ion irradiation was briefly discussed.     

He 离子注入引起的高纯钨硬化

完成了不同注量或温度下100 keV 的He 离子注入高纯钨的实验,并利用纳米压痕技术测量了材料的微观力学性能。所有注入样品的纳米硬度值都高于未注入样品的纳米硬度值。对于室温注入样品,随着注量的增加,样品抗弹性变形能力下降;当注量不高于5x1017 ions/cm2 时,钨的纳米硬度峰值随着注量的增加而增加;注量为1x1018 ions/cm2 的钨样品的纳米硬度峰值反而降低。高温注入样品的抗弹性变形能力优于室温注入样品的抗弹性变形能力;随着注入温度的增加,样品的平均纳米硬度值和弹性模量略有下降。分析讨论了He 注入钨硬化和抗弹性形变能力降低的可能原因。Tungsten has been selected as divertor materials in fusion reactors because of its high thermal conductivity,high melting point, low expansion coefficient and high threshold energy for sputtering etc. The paper presents the hardening behaviour of high pure tungsten by 100 keV He+ with different fluences from 5x1016 ions/cm2 to 1x1018ions/cm2 at room temperature, and with fluence of 1x1018 ions/cm2 at higher temperatures (400, 600 and 800 °C). The microscopic mechanical properties of these samples were investigated by nano-indentation technology. The results show that all of the implanted samples harden obviously. The reason for hardening may be that defects of interstitial dislocation loops or dense helium bubbles etc induced by helium implantation obstacle the movement of dislocation. The peak nanohardness of the samples increased with the fluences increasing when the fluence is not more than 5x1017 ions/cm2, while the nano-hardness value of the implanted sample with the fluence of 1x1018 ions/cm2 decreases and the nano-hardness changes little in the region of 50 nm to 200 nm from surface. For all the implanted samples with 1x1018 ions/cm2 at higher temperatures, their nano-hardness values are similar, but show a trend of decrease with increasing temperature.The reason may be the decrease of the defects’ density during implantation at higher temperatures. In addition, the capability of resisting deformation for the implanted tungsten reduces with increasing fluence and increases a little at higher temperatures.     

高能Xe离子辐照引起的注碳a:SiO2中新结构的形成

先用120keV的碳离子注入非晶二氧化硅a:SiO2薄膜，再用能量为1754MeV的Xe离子辐照。注碳量为5．0×10^16—8．6×10^17ion／cm^2，Xe离子辐照剂量为1．0×10^11和5．0×10^11ion／cm^2。辐照后的样品中形成的新结构用显微傅立叶变换红外光谱仪进行测试分析。结果表明，Xe离子辐照引起了注碳a:SiO2中Si—C，C—C，Si—O—C键以及CO和CO2分子的形成与演化。在注碳量较高时，Xe离子辐照在样品中产生了大量的Si—C键。与注入未辐照和辐照的低注碳量样品比较，增强的Si—C键的形成，预示着辐照可引起注碳a:SiO2样品中的SiC结构相变。Amorphous silicon-dioxide （a:SiO2） films were firstly implanted at room temperature （RT） with 120 keV C-ions to doses ranging from 5.0 × 10^16 to 8.6 × 10^17 ion/cm^2, and then the C-doped a:SiO2 films were irradiated at RT with 1 754 MeV Xe ions to 1.0 × 10^11 and 5.0 × 10^11 ion/cm^2, respectively. The information of new tex- ture formation in the C-doped SiO2 films after high-energy Xe ion irradiation was investigated using micro-FTIR measurements. The obtained results showed that Si--C, C--C, Si--O--C bonds as well as CO and CO2 molecules were formed in the C-doped a-SiO2 films after Xe ion irradiation. Furthermore, Xe-ion irradiation induced a plenteous formation of Si--C bonds in the high dose C-ion implanted a:SiO2 films. Compared with the C-implanted sampies without Xe-ion irradiation and the low dose C-implanted samples with Xe-ion irraddiation, the enhanced and plenty of Si--C bond formation implied that the phase of SiC structures may be produced by Xe-ion irradiation in the high dose C-ion implanted a:SiO2 films.     

Irradiation Effects on the Retention of Hydrogen in Al_2O_3

Substantial defects are produced in Al_2O_3 by 4 MeV Au ion irradiation with a fluence of 4.4 × 10~(15) cm~(-2).Rutherford backscattering spectrometry/channeling and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy methods are used to investigate the irradiation damage.The 190 keV H ions with a fluence of 1 × 10~(17) cm~(-2) are used for implanting pristine and Au ion irradiated Al_2O_3 to explore the irradiation damage effects on the hydrogen retention in Al_2O_3.The time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry method is used to obtain the single hydrogen depth profile and ions mass spectra(IMS),in which we find that implanted hydrogens interacted with defects produced by Au ion irradiation.In IMS,we also obtain the hydrogen retention at a certain depth.Comparing the hydrogen retention in different Al_2O_3 samples,it is concluded that the irradiation damage improves the tritium permeation resistance property of Al_2O_3 under given conditions.This result means that Al_2O_3 may strengthen its property of reducing tritium permeation under the harsh irradiation environment in fusion reactors.     

Effect of copper ions implantation on corrosion behavior of zircaloy-4 in 1 M H2SO4

In order to study the effect of copper ion implantation on the aqueous corrosion behavior, samples of zircaloy-4 were implanted with copper ions with fluences ranging from 1 × 10¹⁶ to 1 × 10¹⁷ ions/cm², using a metal vapor vacuum arc source (MEVVA) operated at an extraction voltage of 40 kV. The valence states and depth distributions of elements in the surface layer of the samples were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), respectively. Glancing angle X-ray diffraction (GAXRD) was employed to examine the phase transformation due to the copper ion implantation. The potentiodynamic polarization technique was employed to evaluate the aqueous corrosion resistance of implanted zircaloy-4 in a 1 M H₂SO₄ solution. It was found that a significant improvement was achieved in the aqueous corrosion resistance of zircaloy-4 implanted with copper ions when the fluence is smaller than 5 × 10¹⁶ ions/cm². The corrosion resistance of implanted samples declined with increasing the fluence. Finally, the mechanism of the corrosion behavior of copper-implanted zircaloy-4 was discussed.     

Influence of titanium ions implantation on corrosion behavior of zirconium in 1 M H2SO4

In order to study the effect of titanium ion implantation on the aqueous corrosion behavior of zirconium, specimens were implanted with titanium ions with fluence ranging from 1 × 10¹⁶ to 1 × 10¹⁷ ions/cm², using a metal vapor vacuum arc (MEVVA) source at an extraction voltage of 40 kV. The valence states and depth distributions of elements in the surface layer of the samples were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), respectively. The potentiodynamic polarization technique was employed to evaluate the aqueous corrosion resistance of implanted zirconium in a 1 M H₂SO₄ solution. It was found that a significant improvement was achieved in the aqueous corrosion resistance of zirconium implanted with titanium ions. The larger the fluence, the better is the corrosion resistance of implanted sample. Finally, the mechanism of the corrosion behavior of titanium-implanted zirconium was discussed.     

Corrosion behavior of tin ions implanted zirconium in 1N H2SO4

In order to study the effect of tin ion implantation on the aqueous corrosion behavior of zirconium, specimens were implanted with tin ions to a fluence ranging from 1 × 10²⁰ to 5 × 10²¹ ions/m², using a metal vapor vacuum arc source (MEVVA) at an extraction voltage of 40 kV. The valence states and depth distributions of elements in the surface layer were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and auger electron spectroscopy (AES) respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to examine the micro-morphology and microstructure of tin-implanted samples. When the fluence was greater than 1 × 10²⁰ ions/m², many small tin balls were produced in the implanted surface. The potentiodynamic polarization technique was employed to evaluate the aqueous corrosion resistance of implanted zirconium in a 1N H₂SO₄ solution. It was found that a significant improvement was achieved in the aqueous corrosion resistance of zirconium implanted with 1 × 10²⁰ ions/m². When the fluence is higher than 1 × 10²⁰ ions/m², the corrosion resistance of zirconium implanted with tin ions decreased compared with that of the non-implanted zirconium. Finally, the mechanism of the corrosion behavior of the tin-implanted zirconium is discussed.     

Structure and properties of molybdenum implanted with high-flux carbon ion

High purity molybdenum was implanted by C ion in a metal vapour vacuum arc (MEVVA) implanter. The influence of implantation parameters was studied by varying ion fluence and ion current density. The samples were implanted by 45 keV C ion with fluences from 1×10¹⁵ to 1×10¹⁸ ions/cm², respectively. The as-implanted samples were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and nanoindenter. Different morphologies were observed on the surfaces of the as-implanted samples due to irradiation damage, and clearly related to implantation parameters. XRD spectra confirm formation of β-Mo₂C with ion fluences equal to or larger than 1×10¹⁶ ions/cm², and formation of -Mo₂C with ion fluence of 1×10¹⁸ ions/cm². The maximum nanohardness and maximum modulus of the as-implanted samples increased gradually with increasing ion fluence, and reached the corresponding maximum values with ion fluence of 1×10¹⁸ ions/cm². The experimental results suggest that the structure and properties of the as-implanted Mo samples exhibited strong dependence on implantation parameters.     

Energy,fluence and temperature dependence of MeV nitrogen implantation profiles in steel

Abstract

1 to 2 MeV nitrogen (N⁺ and N₂ ⁺) ions were implanted at high fluences in stainless steel, and their depth distributions were measured subsequently by Rutherford backscattering and thermal neutron depth profiling. The range profiles were broader than theoretically expected. With increasing fluence, deviations from ballistic computer codes increase. These deviations can well be described by the assumption of radiation enhanced diffusion for which a simple analytical model is presented. The thermal mobility shows a different behavior for low, and for high implanted fluences.     

Surface analysis and oxidation behavior of Y-ion implanted AZ31 magnesium alloys

AZ31 samples were implanted with yttrium ions with fluences of 5 × 10¹⁶, 1 × 10¹⁷ and 5 × 10¹⁷ ions/cm², using a metal vapor vacuum arc source at an extraction voltage of 45 kV. The surfaces of the implanted samples were then analyzed by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It was found that after treatment a pre-oxidation layer was formed, and the higher the fluence, the thicker the pre-oxidation layer was. The valence states showed that yttrium existed in the form of Y₂O₃. Isothermal oxidation tests have been conducted in pure oxygen at 773 K for 90 min to evaluate the oxidation behavior of the implanted samples. The results indicate that after implantation the oxidation resistance of the samples was significantly improved. Moreover, the greater the fluence, the better the oxidation resistance has been achieved. The characterization of the implanted layers after isothermal oxidation was examined by SEM, AES and XPS. From the results, it can be found that the thickness of the oxide scale formed on the implanted surfaces have been greatly decreased, and there is no obvious change for both the thickness of the pre-oxidation layer and the valence states of the elements after oxidation.     

Effects of silicon negative ion implantation in semi-insulating gallium arsenide

ABSTRACT

In the present work, effects of silicon negative ion implantation into semi-insulating gallium arsenide (GaAs) samples with fluences varying between 1?×?10¹⁵ and 4?×?10¹⁷?ions?cm^?2 at 100?keV have been described. Atomic force microscopic images obtained from samples implanted with fluence up to 1?×?10¹⁷?ion?cm^?2 showed the formation of GaAs clusters on the surface of the sample. The shape, size and density of these clusters were found to depend on ion fluence. Whereas sample implanted at higher fluence of 4?×?10¹⁷?ions?cm^?2 showed bump of arbitrary shapes due to cumulative effect of multiple silicon ion impact with GaAs on the same place. GXRD study revealed formation of silicon crystallites in the gallium arsenide sample after implantation. The silicon crystallite size estimated from the full width at half maxima of silicon (111) XRD peak using Debye-Scherrer formula was found to vary between 1.72 and 1.87?nm with respect to ion fluence. Hall measurement revealed the formation of n-type layer in gallium arsenide samples. The current–voltage measurement of the sample implanted with different fluences exhibited the diode like behavior.     

Dynamic behavior of implanted nitrogen in zirconium at various stages of implantations

Abstract

Depth profiles of nitrogen implanted into Zr with an energy of 50 keV were calculated by dynamic SASAMAL code with three different assumptions for the diffusion of excess atoms over stoichiometry, i.e., ‘no diffusion', ‘both-sides-diffusion’ and ‘upward-diffusion'. To distinguish nitrogens implanted certain stage of implantations, alternate implantations of ¹⁵N and ¹⁴N were used. The results were compared with the experimental results by the resonance nuclear reaction analysis, NRA. For ¹⁵N implantation with fluences from 1 × 10¹⁷ to 1 × 10¹⁸ ions/cm², the calculated results with ‘upward-diffusion’ agreed very well with the NRA results for all fluences. For the depth profile of pre-implanted ¹⁵N (1 × 10¹⁷ ions/cm²), which was changed by the subsequent ¹⁴N implantation with fluences of 1 ～ 10 × 10¹⁷ ions/cm², the agreement with the NRA results was satisfactory until the ¹⁴N fluence did not exceed 5 × 10¹⁷ ions/cm², but for higher fluences, the retained probabilities of ¹⁵N obtained by the ‘upward-diffusion’ code were too low compared with the experimental value obtained by NRA. For the depth profiles of ¹⁵N (1 × 10¹⁷ ions/cm²) implanted following after implantations of ¹⁴N with fluences of 1 ～ 10 × 10¹⁷ ions/cm², the agreement with the NRA results was quite good for all ¹⁴N fluences. It is concluded that the approximation of ‘upward-diffution’ is proper satisfactorily for the treatment of atoms implanted at the final stage of implantations, but a problem is left for the treatment of atoms implanted at the early stage of implantations.     

In-depth modifications of implanted amorphous carbon films

Amorphous carbon films (a-C:H) and nitrogen incorporated carbon films [a-C:H(N)] deposited by a self-bias glow discharge have been implanted with 70 keV nitrogen ions at fluences of 0.6, 1 and 2×10¹⁷ N/cm². The in-depth modifications caused by ion implantation were determined by means of nuclear techniques, such as Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS), Nuclear Reaction Analysis (NRA) and Elastic Recoil Detection Analysis (ERDA), as well as by Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) and Raman scattering. ERDA profiles show that nitrogen implantation causes hydrogen depletion, the amount of which depends on the film composition and on the ion fluence. In a-C:H(N) films nitrogen loss was also measured. The induced structural modifications in both a-C:H and a-C:H(N) films were followed by both AES, using factor analysis, and microprobe Raman spectroscopy. They turn out to be related to the energy deposited by the incident ions. Our results indicate that the ion-beam bombardment causes in both a-C:H and a-C:H(N) films an increase of either the degree of disorder or the ratio between sp²/sp³ bonds across the hydrogen-depleted layer, which depends on the ion fluence.