Long pillar-and tip-shaped nanostructures were formed on diamond-like carbon (DLC) surfaces by RF O 2 plasma etching after deposition of a small amount of metal as a micromask by the dc magnetron sputtering method. Ni, Pt, Fe, Au, and Cu were examined as metal micromasks for deposition on the DLC surface. During the initial etching stage, nanostructures appeared on all of the DLC surfaces with each of the metal micromasks. The initial nanostructures were induced by anisotropic etching with the micromasks of aggregated metal. As the etching duration was increased, the nanostructures grown with Ni and Fe micromasks appeared to be lengthened, while the nanostructures induced by Pt, Au, and Cu completely disappeared. O 2 plasma etching for 5 min after deposition of a 0.15-nm thick Ni layer resulted in complete coverage of the DLC surface with fine nanostructures around 30 nm in diameter, 60 nm in height, and an areal number density of 1500 µm −2 . The resultant surface had hydrophilic characteristics with a small water contact angle of 13°. Index Terms-Amorphous carbon, diamond-like carbon (DLC), nanostructures, plasma etching.
Nanosize fibers were formed by RF O 2 plasma etching of flat diamondlike carbon (DLC) film. The DLC films were deposited on Si substrates by an RF plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method and subsequently etched by the RF O 2 plasma. The length (height) of nanofibers increased and the thickness of remaining bulk DLC layer decreased with increasing etching duration. It was due to 10 times difference in etching rates at the top of nanofibers and on the bottom surface of nanofibers. After disappearance of the bulk DLC layer, the length of nanofiber gradually decreased and the diameter slightly increased with increasing etching duration, and finally deformed into candlelike shapes due to sputtering and redeposition. The effects of electrical charging up locally on the top of fibers and of unintentional contamination of Cu sputtered from electrode were considered as the mechanisms for initiation of selective etching, formation and deformation of nanofibers.
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