DIAMOND THIN-FILM GROWTH ON SILICON AT TEMPERATURES BETWEEN 500-DEGREES-C AND 600-DEGREES-C USING AN ELECTRON-CYCLOTRON RESONANCE MICROWAVE PLASMA SOURCE

The possibility of low temperature growth of diamond films on silicon substrates was investigated using an electron cyclotron resonance microwave plasma source to provide activated precursor species from CH4-H2 and CO-H2 gas mixtures at low pressures (1.33 Pa (10 mTorr) to 5.32 Pa (40 mTorr)). Diamond crystallites and continuous diamond films were nucleated and grown on (100) and (111) oriented silicon substrates over the temperature range 500-600-degrees-C. Above 600-degrees-C, microcrystalline graphite was formed. The morphology of the films was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the structure was investigated using laser micro-Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) as a function of the deposition parameters. The Raman and XRD results indicated that the films were nanocrystalline with a high defect concentration.