Paramagnetic defects in thin carbon films

Abstract

This thesis is an investigation into paramagnetic defects in thin carbon films, their nature and the effects of deposition parameters and post deposition treatments. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) is used to examine samples with a wide range of structures from the hard tetrahedral amorphous carbons (ta-C) with a high percentage of sp3 bonded carbon, to soft polymer-like films with high hydrogen concentrations, grown by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition at low bias.