Bonding Network in Filtered-Arc-Deposited Carbon Films: Simulation and Characterization

This work address the bonding structure of amorphous carbon films (a-C) with varying sp² content deposited by filtered-cathodic-vacuum arc (FCVA) at different substrate temperatures (up to 700 K). Experimentally, the arrangement of carbon atoms within the atomic network is assesed by the combination of x-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES) and spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) studies. The experimental evolution of sp² hybrids with temperature is contrasted with theoretical predictions from molecular-dynamics (MD) deposition simulations.