Application of Chlorine-Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition of Diamond at Low Temperatures
- Rice Univ., Houston, TX (United States)
Low temperature deposition of diamond has been achieved by a chlorine-assisted diamond chemical vapor deposition (CA-CVD) process. This method begins with the thermal dissociation of molecular chlorine into atomic chlorine in a resistively heated graphite furnace at temperatures between 1300 and 1500 deg. C. The atomic chlorine, upon mixing, subsequently reacts with molecular hydrogen and hydrocarbons. The rapid exchange reactions between the atomic chlorine, molecular hydrogen, and hydrocarbons give rise to the atomic hydrogen and carbon precursors required for diamond deposition. Homoepitaxial diamond growth on diamond substrates has been studied over the substrate temperature range of 100-950 C. It was found that the diamond growth rates are approximately 0.2 microns/hr in the temperature range between 102 and 300 C and that the growth rates do not decrease significantly with a decrease in substrate temperature. This is unique because the traditional diamond deposition using H2/CH4 systems usually disappears at substrate temperatures below approx. 500 deg. C. This opens up a possible route to the deposition of diamond on low-melting point materials such as aluminum and its alloys.
- Research Organization:
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Houston, TX (United States). Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center
- OSTI ID:
- 266955
- Report Number(s):
- N--96-25018; NASA-CP--3263-VOL-1; S--765-VOL-1; NAS--1.55:3263-VOL-1; NIPS--96-44133
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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