DEPOSITION OF DENSE CH FILMS AT ELEVATED SUBSTRATE-TEMPERATURE

C:H layers were prepared by using an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma from methane. The temperature of the substrate was varied up to 700 K at a gas pressure of 1.6 Pa. Despite low ion energies in the range of the order of the plasma potential, transparent C:H films were obtained at elevated temperature with a density of up to 2 g cm-3. At a substrate temperature of 700 K during deposition the density of the films decreases with increasing density of atomic hydrogen in the plasma. A model is proposed to explain this change in density, which is supported by optical spectroscopy and measurements of the H:C ratio and the density of the films.