The optical spectra of carbon-based thin films measured by the photothermal deflection spectroscopy (PDS)

Our photothermal deflection spectroscopy (PDS) setup allows to measure simultaneously the absolute values of the optical transmittance T, reflectance R and absorptance A spectra of thin layers on glass substrates in the spectral range from ultraviolet to near infrared light with the typical spectral resolution 5 nm in the ultraviolet, 10 nm in visible and 20 nm in the near infrared region. The PDS setup provides the dynamic detection range in the optical absorptance up to 4 orders of magnitude. Here we demonstrate the usability of this setup by comparing the optical absorbance on a series of the carbon layer and nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) thin layers deposited on glass substrates by using the magnetron sputtering and the microwave based surface wave-discharge in linear antenna chemical vapor deposition (CVD) processes, respectively. The defect-induced localized states in the energy gap are observed in all carbon layers as well as in NCD.