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Process study of thermal plasma chemical vapor deposition of diamond, part I: Substrate material, temperature, and methane concentration

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Abstract

Effects of process parameters on diamond film synthesis in DC thermal plasma jet reactors are discussed including substrate material, methane concentration and substrate temperature. Diamond has been deposited on silicon, molybdenum, tungsten, tantalum, copper, nickel, titanium, and stainless steel. The adhesion of diamond film to the substrate is greatly affected by the type of substrate used. It has been found that the methane concentration strongly affects the grain size of the diamond films. Increased methane concentrations result in smaller grain sizes due to the increased number of secondary nucleations on the existing facets of diamond crystals. Substrate temperature has a strong effect on the morphology of diamond films. With increasing substrate temperature, the predominant orientation of the crystal growth planes changes from the (111) to the (100) planes. Studies of the variation of the film quality across the substrate due to the nonuniformity of thermal plasma jets indicate that microcrystalline graphite formation starts at the corners and edges of diamond crystals when the conditions become unfavorable for diamond deposition.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, 55455, Minneapolis, Minnesota

    Z. P. Lu, J. Heberlein & E. Pfender

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  1. Z. P. Lu
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  2. J. Heberlein
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  3. E. Pfender
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Lu, Z.P., Heberlein, J. & Pfender, E. Process study of thermal plasma chemical vapor deposition of diamond, part I: Substrate material, temperature, and methane concentration. Plasma Chem Plasma Process 12, 35–53 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01447943

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01447943

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