Dependence of CVD diamond growth rate on substrate orientation as a function of process parameters in the high microwave power density regime

Abstract

AbstractThe use of diamond as a material for high power electronics requires high‐purity monocrystalline thick diamond films. Hence it is extremely important to have perfect control of the morphology during the entire growth process, so that the useable surface be maximized and residual stresses (which may cause cracking of the sample during the growth process) be limited. To assist in this work, a 3D geometric growth model has been recently developed, taking into account the growth rate of the different crystallographic planes: {100}, {110}, {111}, and {113}. The knowledge of the growth rate along the different directions as a function of growth parameters (substrate temperature, methane concentration, and nitrogen content in the gas phase) was the missing link between simulations and effective thick film processing. This knowledge is here embodied in the measurements displayed in this paper. In particular, we report on a way of limiting the occurrence of specific facets with deleterious effects on stress and crystal cracking probability. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)