Electron microscopy studies of crystallites in carbon nanopillars grown by low-temperature plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor deposition

Carbon crystallites in separate vertically oriented nanopillars grown on the surface of a substrate by low-temperature plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor deposition (LTPECVD) without a catalyst are studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron diffraction. Thin planar lamellae are manufactured from the half-height section of an array of nanopillars using a focused ion beam. It is established that the crystallites in an amorphous environment are constructed from fragments of basal planes (002), have no well-distinguished boundaries, and their size is generally 1–2 nm. It is shown that the fraction of crystallites in the total volume of the material of nanopillars gradually grows, and the average distance between the basal planes decreases after annealing at temperatures of 250 and 700°C.