Diamond thin films grown by microwave plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition

Technical Report · Thu Sep 05 04:00:00 EDT 1991

OSTI ID:5373665

Leksono, M

Undoped and boron doped diamond thin films have been successfully grown by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition from CH{sub 4}, H{sub 2}, and B{sub 2}H{sub 6}. The films were characterized using x- ray diffraction techniques, Raman and infrared spectroscopies, scanning electron microscopy, secondary ion mass spectrometry, and various electrical measurements. The deposition rates of the diamond films were found to increase with the CH{sub 4} concentration, substrate temperature, and/or pressure, and at 1.0% methane, 900{degrees}C, and 35 Torr, the value was measured to be 0.87 {mu}m/hour. The deposition rate for boron doped diamond films, decreases as the diborane concentration increases. The morphologies of the undoped diamond films are strongly related to the deposition parameters. As the temperature increases from 840 to 925 C, the film morphology changes from cubo-octahedron to cubic structures, while as the CH{sub 4} concentration increases from 0.5 to 1.0%, the morphology changes from triangular (111) faces with a weak preferred orientation to square (100) faces. At 2.0% Ch{sub 4} or higher the films become microcrystalline with cauliflower structures. Scanning electron microscopy analyses also demonstrate that selective deposition of undoped diamond films has been successfully achieved using a lift-off process with a resolution of at least 2 {mu}m. The x-ray diffraction and Raman spectra demonstrate that high quality diamond films have been achieved. The concentration of the nondiamond phases in the films grown at 1.0% CH{sub 4} can be estimated from the Raman spectra to be at less than 0.2% and increases with the CH{sub 4} concentration. The Raman spectra of the boron doped diamond films also indicate that the presence of boron tends to suppress the nondiamond phases in the films. Infrared spectra of the undoped diamond films show very weak CH stretch peaks which suggest that the hydrogen concentration is very low.

• Research Organization: Ames Lab., IA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-82
• OSTI ID: 5373665
• Report Number(s): IS-T-1558; ON: DE91018553
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

656003* -- Condensed Matter Physics-- Interactions between Beams & Condensed Matter-- (1987-)
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
BORON
CARBON
CHEMICAL COATING
CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION
COHERENT SCATTERING
CRYSTAL DOPING
CRYSTAL GROWTH
DEPOSITION
DIAMONDS
DIFFRACTION
ELEMENTAL MINERALS
ELEMENTS
FILMS
MINERALS
NONMETALS
PLASMA
RAMAN SPECTRA
SCATTERING
SEMIMETALS
SPECTRA
SURFACE COATING
THIN FILMS
X-RAY DIFFRACTION