Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films have attracted much attention due to their useful properties and applications. These properties are quite variable depending on film preparation techniques and conditions, DLC is a metastable state formed from highly non-equilibrium phases during the condensation of ionized particles. The nature of the films is therefore strongly dependent on their particular chemical structures. In this study, electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) was used to investigate how the chemical bonding configurations of DLC films vary as a function of sputtering power densities. The electrical resistivity of the films was determined, and related to their chemical structure.DLC films with a thickness of about 300Å were prepared at 0.1, 1.1, 2.1, and 10.0 watts/cm2, respectively, on NaCl substrates by d.c. magnetron sputtering. EEL spectra were obtained from diamond, graphite, and the films using a JEOL 200 CX electron microscope operating at 200 kV. A Gatan parallel EEL spectrometer and a Kevex data aquisition system were used to analyze the energy distribution of transmitted electrons. The electrical resistivity of the films was measured by the four point probe method.
