LOW-ENERGY ION-IMPLANTATION AND ELECTROCHEMICAL SEPARATION OF DIAMOND FILMS

We combine low energy and low dose ion implantation with an electrochemical etch to fabricate thin diamond layers suitable for seeding homoepitaxial or polycrystalline chemical vapor deposited (CVD) diamond growth. Implantation of a carbon ion dose of 1 X 10(16) CM-2 at 175 keV creates subsurface damage in a bulk crystal which is selectively removed by the electrochemical etch. Implanted substrates were subjected to CVD diamond deposition prior to etching of the damage layer. We discuss the effect of implantation and subsequent annealing conditions on the morphology and Raman spectra of the CVD films. All results indicate that the seed layer nucleated high quality CVD diamond film growth.