Abstract
The interaction between hydrogen-diluted methane plasma gas and the substrate metal has been investigated to evaluate diamond nucleation growth and initial film growth by combining chemical-vapor deposition and field-ion microscopy (CVD-FIM). After the plasma gas was exposed to a tungsten tip (W tip) at a methane contents of CH4/H2=1.5%, which is generally used in diamond film growth by CVD, the interaction effect was evaluated from field-ion images and the variation of field enhancement factor β cm−1 in Fowler-Nordheim plots, which is a result of the interaction with the plasma gas. The plasma-W tip surface interactions are very strong, and mixed thick layers are formed on the top surface of the W tip. The growth of carbon clusters consisting of several carbon atoms is also observed. However, it is still unclear whether carbon clusters are the prenucleation states of diamond growth or amorphous states.
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