ANALYSIS OF CLUSTER DIMENSION AND MORPHOLOGY OF ROOM TEMPERATURE GROWN NANOCARBON USING CATHODIC ARC AND ITS INFLUENCE ON FIELD ASSISTED ELECTRON EMISSION

Abstract

Low temerpatuere grown nanocluster carbon thin films grown using a continuous cathodic arc process at room temperature are found to be interesting material for wide range of and nanoelectronic application. Reported is the study of the influence of background gases such as helium and nitrogen on the nanoclsuter dimension and morphology and a possible influence of the -4 same to field assisted electron emission properties. The Helium partial pressure was changed from 5x10 to 50 Torr under two -4 -3 different nitrogen partial pressure conditions namely 1x10 Torr and 1x10 Torr respectively. Raman and SEM data for these samples were used to estimate the cluster dimension structural and morphological properties. The surface morphology of the films grown, varied from atomic smooth surface to clusters with varying sizes (50–200 nm). A methodology for the estimation of cluster dimension from the Raman data was established and the estimated data compared with dimensions derived from SEM images. Effort was made to look at the possible correlation of between process parameters, estimated parameters and field assisted electron emission data. The curve fitting analysis and the observed correlation, indicates possibility of establishing Raman Spectroscopy as an instantaneous characterization approach for the evaluation of nanocarbons.