Abstract
We have modeled the gas-phase chemistry of a typical radio frequency CH4/Ar plasma used for the deposition of diamond and diamond-like carbon films. Our simulations show that the most abundant carbon containing radical is CH3 in pure methane discharges, but it is the carbon dimer C2 in discharges of methane highly diluted by argon. Thus we propose that the gaseous precursor of the film is CH3 in methane plasmas, and C2 in CH4/Ar plasmas. This proposal resolves outstanding discrepancies and is consistent with recent experiments demonstrating the deposition of diamond from hydrogen deficient plasmas.
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Riccardi, C., Barni, R., Fontanesi, M. et al. Ar doping of CH4 plasmas for carbon film deposition. Czech. J. Phys. 50 (Suppl 3), 389 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03165916
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03165916