Wettability and other properties of amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H) films for biomedical applications synthesized by plasma immersion ion implantation - deposition (PIII-D)

Summary form only given. Hydrogenated amorphous carbon films (a-C:H) are fabricated on silicon [100] wafers at room temperature using plasma immersion ion implantation - deposition (PIII-D). By adjusting the deposition conditions and annealing parameters (in vacuum between 400-700/spl deg/C), a series of a-C:H films with different hydrogen contents, structures, and chemical bonds are obtained. The film chemistry is investigated using micro-Raman spectroscopy. The surface morphology of the films is characterized using the atomic force microscopy (AFM). The composition is measured by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) and elastic recoil detection (ERD). Fourier transform infrared spectroscope (FTIR) is utilized to characterize the bonding characteristics of hydrogen to carbon in the a-C:H films. The wettability of the films is investigated by contact angle measurements with different well-known liquids and physiological solutions. The surface energy and its polar and dispersive part are determined. The experimental results are used to study the influence of the different composition and structure on the wettability of the a-C:H films, a parameter that is crucial to biomedical applications.