Relationship between field emission characteristics and hydrogen content in diamondlike carbon deposited by the layer-by-layer technique using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition

We deposited diamondlike carbon (DLC) films of various hydrogen contents by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The hydrogen content in the DLC film was controlled by a novel technique called a layer-by-layer deposition, in which the deposition of a thin layer of DLC and a CF₄ plasma exposure on its surface were carried out alternatively. The DLC films with different hydrogen content could be obtained by varying the CF₄ plasma exposure time. The emission current increases and turn-on field decreases with decreasing hydrogen content in the DLC film.