THE EFFECT OF SILICON SURFACE PREPARATION ON THE NUCLEATION OF DIAMOND BY CHEMICAL VAPOR-DEPOSITION

The effect of surface impurities left on silicon following surface abrasion with diamond paste, on diamond nucleation in filament-assisted CVD was studied. Organic material left on the silicon surface following abrasion was found to be responsible for strongly enhancing nucleation of diamond crystallites. Dissolution of this organic material was found dramatically to decrease nucleation density, and total elimination of diamond nucleation results from effectively etching graphite from the scratches. This suggests that graphite left in the scratches plays an essential role in diamond nucleation, while additional organic matter on the surface further enhances nucleation. © 1992.