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Title: Fabrication of amorphous diamond films

Conference ·
 [1];  [1];  [1]
  1. Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)

Amorphous diamond (a:D) is a hard, electrically insulating, inert and transparent form of carbon that has the sp{sup 3} bond character of crystalline diamond, but lacks a long-range ordered structure. Using our filtered cathodic arc system, we have produced a:D films at room temperature that demonstrate hardness above 8000 H{sub v}, hydrogen content below 0.1%, density of 2.7 {plus_minus} 0.3 g/cc, and adhesion on tungsten carbide and silicon substrates above 10 kpsi. The fine structure of a:D was characterized by TEM and electron diffraction. TEM showed no evidence of any ordered structure down to 1 run. Unlike natural diamond or DLC, a:D has a flat transmission spectrum from 0.8 to over 50 which is due to its amorphous nature and the lack of hydrogen. Also, we determined the index of refraction of our a:D to be 2.47--2.57. The thermal diffusivity of a:D has been measured and reported for the first time. We have lowered the intrinsic stress in the films by the use of bias and the inclusion of impurity atoms, and produced films up to 8 gm thick on carbide tool bits. In addition, a molecular dynamics code has been used to model this material.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-48
OSTI ID:
10190736
Report Number(s):
UCRL-JC-111960; CONF-930419-5; ON: DE94000404
Resource Relation:
Journal Volume: 236; Journal Issue: 1-2; Conference: International conference on metallurgical coatings and thin films, San Diego, CA (United States), 19-23 Apr 1993; Other Information: PBD: Apr 1993
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English