Optical, electrical and structural investigations of nanostructured coatings of metal-incorporated amorphous carbon

Abstract : The structure and physical properties of nano-structured metal (nickel and tantalum) incorporated amorphous carbon (a-C:Ni and a-C:Ta) thin films deposited by femtosecond pulsed laser deposition (PLD) have been investigated. Various complementary film characterizations, including atomic force microscopy (AFM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy have been used to determine the nanostructure of the a-C :Ni and a-C :Ta films, with a metal concentration range within 1% and 15 at.%. The electronic and optical properties have been also investigated in order to evaluate the potentialities of the coatings consisting in metallic nodules embedded in an amorphous carbonaceous matrix. The influence of the metal nature and concentration on the structure and properties of the films has been highlighted. The ability of femtosecond pulsed laser deposition to synthesize nanocomposite carbon-based films with tailored structures and properties is discussed.