THE STRUCTURE OF CONDUCTING AND NONCONDUCTING HOMOEPITAXIAL DIAMOND FILMS

Scanning tunnelling and atomic force microscopies have been used to examine LPCVD homoepitaxial diamond films. These films, previously characterised using secondary electron emission (Auger, collective plasma oscillations, etc.), Rutherford backscattering, ion channelling, low energy electron diffraction (LEED) and Raman spectroscopy revealed good surface, bulk and interfacial integrity. AFM on the non-conducting films revealed facetted pitting and surface undulations orthogonal to the fine polishing direction. STM on the doped p-type conducting films revealed a variety of structures from different parts of the same surface including orientational dependent growth, parallel single and double domain and step heights respectively and evidence of (2 × 1) surface restructuring. © 1992.