Abstract
Hydrogenated amorphous carbon layers (a-C:H) on silicon show substantial amounts of silicon carbide in the interface, which has been identified with x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Auger electron spectroscopy by comparison to Si, C, and SiC standards. The quality of such layers, in particular, adhesion and hardness, becomes better with increasing width of the depth distribution of this interfacial carbide. (IAF)