SIMULATIONS OF HIGH-RATE DIAMOND SYNTHESIS - METHYL AS GROWTH SPECIES

The results of numerical simulations of two high-rate diamond growth environments (oxygen-acetylene torch and dc arcjet) are reported. The calculations account in detail for boundary-layer transport, gas-phase chemistry, and gas-surface chemistry. Diamond growth rates are calculated self-consistently with the gas-phase concentrations, using a recently proposed methyl growth mechanism. The calculated growth rates agree well with the measured values, indicating that this growth mechanism can account for both high- and low-rate diamond growth.