SELECTIVE DIAMOND SEED DEPOSITION USING ELECTROPLATED COPPER

A process for selective seeding of conducting substrates (molybdenum and copper) with submicron diamond particles has been studied. In this process, copper is electroplated through a photoresist mask, and the electroplating is performed in a stirred solution of CuSO4 and H2SO4 into which ∼0.1 μm size diamond particles have been added. This results in a continuous layer of diamond particles embedded in the electroplated copper. After the removal of photoresist, this layer is used to seed further CVD diamond growth selectively. Morphology of both the as-plated copper/diamond matrix and the film that resulted after further CVD diamond deposition are reported. © 1992.