Grain size dependent mechanical properties of nanocrystalline diamond films grown by hot-filament CVD
Nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) films with a thickness of {approx}6 {micro}m and with average grain sizes ranging from 60 to 9 nm were deposited on silicon wafers using a hot-filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) process. These samples were then characterized with the goal to identify correlations between grain size, chemical composition and mechanical properties. The characterization reveals that our films are phase pure and exhibit a relatively smooth surface morphology. The levels of sp{sup 2}-bonded carbon and hydrogen impurities are low, and showed a systematic variation with the grain size. The hydrogen content increases with decreasing grain size, whereas the sp{sup 2} carbon content decreases with decreasing grain size. The material is weaker than single crystalline diamond, and both stiffness and hardness decrease with decreasing grain size. These trends suggest gradual changes of the nature of the grain boundaries, from graphitic in the case of the 60 nm grain size material to hydrogen terminated sp{sup 3} carbon for the 9 nm grain size material. The films exhibit low levels of internal stress and freestanding structures with a length of several centimeters could be fabricated without noticeable bending.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 945725
- Report Number(s):
- LLNL-PROC-406063; TRN: US200903%%757
- Resource Relation:
- Journal Volume: 18; Journal Issue: 5-8; Conference: Presented at: 19th European Conference on Diamond, Diamond-like Materials, Carbon Nanotubes, and Nitrides, Sitges, Spain, Sep 07 - Sep 11, 2008
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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