Carbon exists in the form of many allotropes: zero-dimensional sp² fullerenes, the two- dimensional (2D) sp² honeycomb lattice of graphene (parent to graphite and carbon nanotubes), or three-dimensional (3D) sp³ crystals - diamond and lonsdaleite. Carbon can also exist in the form of carbine, a one dimensional (1D) infinite chain of sp¹-hybridized carbon atoms. Each of them has notably different electronic and mechanical properties. Accordingly, it is highly important to correctly identify the hybridization state of carbon for the industrial application of these materials. It is well known that the phase ratio of sp² and sp³ hybridized carbon is distinguishable by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and especially by analysis of C1s lines. Here we report on a thorough XPS study of thin carbon films deposited by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The studied films consist of a mix of carbon phases deposited on SiO2/(001)Si substrates. The obtained XPS results allows the optimization of PLD process parameters in order to synthesize single to few layered defected graphene/ graphene-like films.

Date Published: 29 January 2019
PDF: 5 pages
Proc. SPIE 11047, 20th International Conference and School on Quantum Electronics: Laser Physics and Applications, 110470D (29 January 2019); doi: 10.1117/12.2516243

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 11047:
20th International Conference and School on Quantum Electronics: Laser Physics and Applications
Tanja N. Dreischuh; Latchezar A. Avramov, Editor(s)