Synthesis of nanocrystalline diamond thin films from an Ar-CH4 microwave plasma

Nanocrystalline diamond thin films have been synthesized in an Ar-CH4 microwave discharge, without the addition of molecular hydrogen. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and electron energy loss spectroscopy characterizations show that the films consist of a pure crystalline diamond phase with very small grain sizes ranging from 3 to 20 nm. Atomic force microscopy analysis demonstrates that the surfaces of the nanocrystalline diamond films remain smooth independent of the film thicknesses. Furthermore, the reactant gas pressure, which strongly affects the concentration of C-2 dimer in the Ar-CH4 plasma as well as the growth rate of the films, has been found to be a key parameter for the nanocrystalline diamond thin film depositions. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics.