Morphology, optical and electrical properties of Cu–Ni nanoparticles in a-C:H prepared by co-deposition of RF-sputtering and RF-PECVD

We report optical and electrical properties of Cu–Ni nanoparticles in hydrogenated amorphous carbon (Cu–Ni NPs @ a-C:H) with different surface morphology. Ni NPs with layer thicknesses of 5, 10 and 15 nm over Cu NPs @ a-C:H were prepared by co-deposition of RF-sputtering and RF-Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (RF-PECVD) from acetylene gas and Cu and Ni targets. A nonmetal–metal transition was observed as the thickness of Ni over layer increases. The surface morphology of the sample was described by a two dimensional (2D) Gaussian self-affine fractal, except the sample with 10 nm thickness of Ni over layer, which is in the nonmetal–metal transition region. X-ray diffraction profile indicates that Cu NPs and Ni NPs with fcc crystalline structure are formed in these films. Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR) peak of Cu NPs is observed around 600 nm in visible spectra, which is widen and shifted to lower wavelengths as the thickness of Ni over layer increases. The variation of LSPR peak width correlates with conductivity variation of these bilayers. We assign both effects to surface electron delocalization of Cu NPs.