Chapter 12 - Oriented Growth on Noble Metals

Abstract

This chapter studies the diamond growth on Pt, Pd, and Au foils by HFCVD. Studies for Pt and Pd [371–373], SEM indicated that the diamond nucleation occurred in the bulk as the diamond particles were embedded in the materials. It is inferred that there was a Metal (M)-C-H complex formed in the bulk, which played an important role in diamond nucleation. Sawabe's group showed by DC plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) that a (100)-oriented, flat diamond film was heteroepitaxially grown on Ir(100) that also had been heteroepitaxially deposited on MgO(100). So far, azimuthally (111)- and (100)-oriented diamond films without grain boundaries have been successfully deposited on Pt(111) and Ir(100), respectively. This specimen was then set in an MPCVD system using pure H2 as a reaction gas under conditions of P = 90 Torr, Ts = 985°C for 5 h and consequently, diamond grains with a diameter of approximately 101am were formed.