  The Hydrogenated Diamond Like Carbon (HDLC) thin films are deposited on
Silicon substrate at room temperature using asymmetric capacitively coupled RF
plasma with varying flow rates of methane. These films are undergone annealing
at high vacuum and high temperature furnace. The as-prepared and annealed HDLC
films have been depth profiled for hydrogen using the resonance at 6.44 MeV in
nuclear reaction between fluoride ion beam and HDLC. The as prepared films
exhibit non-uniform depth distribution of hydrogen: it decreases with depth.
Annealing in vacuum brings about a significant desorption of hydrogen from the
films. Loss of hydrogen, albeit in much lower proportions, is also induced by
the bombarding beam. The films also experience a mild loss of carbon, as shown
by proton backscattering spectrometry, during high vacuum annealing. The depth
profiles of hydrogen in the annealed films are indicative of the prevalence of
graphitic carbon near interface between film and substrate.
