Microwave Plasma Source for Fabrication of Micro- and Nano-Crystalline Diamond Thin Films for Electronic Devices

Abstract

The design and utilization of an affordable compact-size high-density plasma reactor for micro- and nano-crystalline diamond (MCD/NCD) thin film deposition is presented. The system is based on a 2.45 GHz domestic microwave oven magnetron. A switching power supply module, which yields a low-voltage high-current AC filament feeding and a high-voltage low-current DC cathode bias, is constructed to serve as the magnetron power source. With a high stability of the power module combined with the usage of water cooling gaskets, over 100 h of plasma processing time was achieved without overheating or causing any damage to the magnetron. Depositions of well-faceted MCD/NCD thin films, with distinct diamond Raman characteristics, were obtained using H2–CH4 discharge with 1–5% CH4. Metal–semiconductor diode structures were fabricated using gold and aluminum as ohmic and rectifying contacts, respectively, and their responses to DC signals revealed a high rectification ratio of up to 106 in the intrinsic MCD/NCD devices.