Kinetics of Diamond-Like Film Growth Using Filament-Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition

Abstract

AbstractA detailed kinetic model of diamond-like film growth from methane diluted in hydrogen using low-pressure, filament-assisted chemical vapor deposition (FACVD) has been developed. The model includes both gas-phase and surface reactions. The surface kinetics include adsorption of CH3· and H·, abstraction reactions by gas-phase radicals, desorption, and two pathways for diamond (sp3) and graphitic carbon (sp2) growth. It is postulated that adsorbed CH2· species are the major film precursors. The proposed kinetic model was incorporated into a transport model describing flow, heat and mass transfer in stagnation flow FACVD reactors. Diamond-like films were deposited on preseeded Si substrates in such a reactor at a pressure of 26 Torr, inlet gas composition ranging from 0.5% to 1.5% methane in hydrogen and substrate temperatures ranging from 600 to 950°C. The best films were obtained at low methane concentrations and substrate temperature of 700°C. The films were characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Raman spectroscopy. Observations from our experiments and growth rate data from similar experiments reported in the literature [1] were used to estimate unknown kinetic parameters of surface reactions. The proposed model predicts observed film growth rates, compositions and stable species distributions in the gas phase. It is the first complete model of FACVD that includes gas-phase and surface kinetics coupled with transport phenomena.