Determination of bonding structure of Si, Ge, and N incorporated amorphous carbon films by near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure and ultraviolet Raman spectroscopy

A comparative analysis of bonding structure in Si, Ge and N incorporated amorphous carbon (a-C) films by using near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) and ultraviolet (UV) Raman spectroscopy was presented. It was found that incorporation of Si, Ge and N plays a critical role in increasing sp ³ bonds. It was shown that incorporated Si and Ge atoms substitute C atoms and open up the ring structure, promotes the sp³ hybridized bonds with its neighboring atoms. The results showed that N incorporated a-C, the increased sp₃ fraction, due to five-membered ring structure, gives rise to a cross linking between ring structures by sp₃ hybridized bonds.