Effect of annealing on mechanical properties of materials formed by focused au or si lon-beam-induced chemical vapor deposition using phenanthrene

The hardness and Young's modulus of materials deposited by focused Au or Si ion-beam-induced chemical vapor deposition using phenanthrene as a precursor gas were measured by means of nanoindentation. Before annealing, the hardness and Young's modulus of the materials deposited using Au ions were higher than those formed using Si or Ga ions. After annealing at 800 °C, however, the hardness and Young's modulus of the material formed using Si ions were markedly increased, but those formed using Au or Ga ions were decreased. From the change in Raman spectra, the decrease might be related to a change in the carbonaceous materials from an amorphous phase to graphite and disordered phases upon annealing. On the other hand, from the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurement, it was observed that some of the Si atoms in the deposited material chemically combined with the deposited C atoms and formed Si-C (silicon carbide) bonds upon annealing, resulting in the increase in the hardness and Young's modulus.