Seeding, growth and characterization of nanocrystalline diamond films on various substrates

Abstract

By optimizing seeding techniques and plasma parameters for deposition, nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) films were deposited on different sorts of substrates with varying parameters such as temperature and methane content. Results of this optimization process were analysed by SEM, XRD, Raman, and transmission measurements. Experiments with titanium interlayers lead to a better understanding of the nucleation step and can enhance the nucleation density. This research resulted in homogeneously coalesced NCD films of less than 100 nm thickness over 3 inch Si wafers. It is also shown that it is possible to grow on different sorts of glass, using a low temperature process