Understanding the chemical vapor deposition of diamond: recent progress

Abstract

In this paper we review and provide an overview to the understanding of the chemicalvapor deposition (CVD) of diamond materials with a particular focus on the commonlyused microwave plasma-activated chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD). The major topicscovered are experimental measurements in situ to diamond CVD reactors, and MPCVD inparticular, coupled with models of the gas phase chemical and plasma kinetics to provideinsight into the distribution of critical chemical species throughout the reactor,followed by a discussion of the surface chemical process involved in diamondgrowth.