Nanostructured carbon growth by expanding RF plasma assisted CVD on Ni-coated silicon substrate

The growth of nanostructured carbon by using an experimental configuration that combines the sputtering technique and the plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique in a single reactor is reported in this contribution. During the growth process the deposition of the metallic catalyst from a small size direct current magnetron plasma source and that of the carbon material from a radiofrequency plasma beam, downstream injected with acetylene, can be realized in separate steps or simultaneously. It is proved that this combined technique, which is versatile and reliable, prevents the exposure of the catalyst to oxidation, and leads to nanostructured carbon materials with various morphological characteristics.