Abstract
The effect of pressure on the deposition of nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) films in a hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) system was investigated employing a 1% CH 4 in H 2 gas mixture. With decreasing the growth pressure from 5.0 to 0.125 kPa, a gradual reduction of the diamond grain sizes from sub-micrometer to nanometer scale was observed, accompanied by the decline of surface roughness and the evolution of film cross-sectional morphologies changing from columnar to grainy structures. The pressure also exerted prominent influence on the film growth rate. At 2.8 kPa the growth rate featured a maximum, while decreasing to higher and lower pressures. Such pressure dependence of the diamond growth rate was suggested to result from two competing effects of pressure on the concentration of reactive species near the diamond growth surface. Further, the mechanism for the NCD film formation under low deposition pressures was discussed in light of the high secondary nucleation rate.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
