Thin fullerene-containing films synthesized by ion beam sputtering of fullerene mixtures with doping additives in vacuum

A new approach to the synthesis of films containing fullerenes and doping elements is described. It is suggested that a cluster mechanism of the target sputtering by accelerated ions makes possible the deposition of fullerenes on a substrate with a certain probability for dopant atoms being introduced into the cavities of fullerene molecules and a higher probability of their occurrence between fullerene molecules. The proposed method has been experimentally implemented by using an Ar⁺ ion beam to sputter C₆₀/C₇₀ fullerene mixtures (synthesized in a plasmachemical reactor at a pressure of 10⁵ Pa) pressed into disk targets with a doping element (Fe, Na, B, Gd, or Se). The ion beam sputtering of dopant-containing fullerene mixtures in a vacuum of ～10^?2 Pa allowed micron-thick films containing C₆₀ and C₇₀ fullerenes and the corresponding dopant element (Fe, Na, B, Gd, or Se) to be grown on quartz substrates.