Fabrication and Surface Characterization of CrCN Thin Films Deposited by Cathodic Arc Technique for SERS Applications

CrCN thin films were deposited on (100)-oriented silicon wafer substrates using the cathodic arc technique at various deposition times of 5, 10, and 15 minutes for surface analysis and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) applications. The morphology, surface roughness, crystal structure, and chemical composition were characterized by FE-SEM, AFM, GIXRD, and XPS. The results reveal that the polycrystalline CrCN thin films exhibit plasmonic properties. Preliminary SERS measurements using Rhodamine 6G (R6G) demonstrated the optimal film thickness corresponding to deposition times that enable detection over the concentration range from 10⁻¹ to 10⁻⁶ M.