Crystalline carbon nitride films have been synthesized on Si substrates by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition technique, using a gas mixture of nitrogen and methane. Scanning electron microscopy shows that the film consisted of hexagonal crystalline rods. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy indicate the films are mainly composed of α-and β-C 3N 4, and these results match more closely with α-C 3N 4 than with β-C 3N 4 phase. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectra ...