Growth of mirror-like ultra-nanocrystalline diamond(UNCD)films by a facile hybrid CVD approach

In this study, growth of mirror-like ultra-nanocrystalline diamond（UNCD） films by a facile hybrid CVD approach was presented. The nucleation and deposition of UNCD films were conducted in microwave plasma CVD（MPCVD） and direct current glow discharge CVD（DC GD CVD） on silicon substrates, respectively. A very high nucleation density（about 1×10^11 nuclei cm^-2） was obtained after plasma pretreatment. Furthermore, large area mirrorlike UNCD films of Φ 50 mm were synthesized by DC GD CVD. The thickness and grain size of the UNCD films are 24 μm and 7.1 nm, respectively. In addition, the deposition mechanism of the UNCD films was discussed.

Fabrication and Characterization of FeNiCr Matrix-TiC Composite for Polishing CVD Diamond Film

Dynamic friction polishing （DFP） is one of the most promising methods appropriate for polishing CVD diamond film with high efficiency and low cost. By this method CVD diamond film is polished through being simply pressed against a metal disc rotating at a high speed utilizing the thermochemical reaction occurring as a result of dynamic friction between them in the atmosphere. However, the relatively soft materials such as stainless steel, cast iron and nickel alloy widely used for polishing CVD diamond film are easy to wear and adhere to diamond film surface, which may further lead to low efficiency and poor polishing quality. In this paper, FeNiCr matrix-TiC composite used as grinding wheel for polishing CVD diamond film was obtained by combination of mechanical alloying （MA） and spark plasma sintering （SPS）. The process of ball milling, composition, density, hardness, high-temperature oxidation resistance and wear resistance of the sintered piece were analyzed. The results show that TiC was introduced in MA-SPS process and had good combination with FeNiCr matrix and even distribution in the matrix. The density of composite can be improved by mechanical alloying. The FeNiCr matrix-TiC composite obtained at 1273 K was found to be superior to at 1173 K sinterin8 in hardness, high-temperature oxidation resistance and wearability. These properties are more favorable than SUS304 for the preparation of high-performance grinding wheel for polishing CVD diamond film.

A CVD diamond film detector for pulsed proton detection

A chemical vapour deposition （CVD） diamond film detector was prepared and the main characteristics for pulsed proton detection were studied at Beijing Tandem Accelerator. The result shows that the charge collection efficiency of the detector increases with increasing electric field intensity and reaches to 9.44% at 5 V/μm with the charge collection distance of 15.9 μm. The relationship between the sensitivity of the detector and proton energy is consistent with the Monte Carlo （MC） simulation result. Its plasma time for a pulse with 4.85×10^5 protons is 1l.2ns. The dose threshold for onset of damage under 9MeV proton irradiation in the detector is about 10^13 cm^-2. All of the results show that a CVD diamond detector has fast time response and high radiation hardness, and can be used in pulsed proton detection.

Optical and electronic performances of CVD diamond film andits applications in radiation detectors

The outstanding properties of CVD diamond film such as electronic, optical, thermal and mechanical and the high radiation hardness have made it an ideal candidate material for radiation detectors in severe environments. Fabrication of ＇detector grade＇ CVD diamond films and development of CVD diamond detectors have been leading edge subjects. Micro-strip gas chamber （MSGC） fabricated on CVD diamond substrate would overcome the charge-up effect and the substrate instability, which has been a hotspot in the research of gas detectors.

Wear of CVD thick film diamond cutter while machining laminated flooring

The wide application of high pressure laminated (HPL) flooring has an insistent need for cutting tools with an excellent performance and fine cutting quality. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) thick film diamond is a promising material for the machining of HPL flooring. In the present work, CVD thick film diamond tools were used to mill the wear resistance layer of HPL flooring. Wear volumes of flank face were examined by optical microscopy, and micro wear morphologies were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The experiments revealed that the predominant wear characteristics of CVD diamond tools were transgranular cleavage wear and intergranular peeling of the CVD diamond. Experimental results also showed that twin characteristic, cavity defect, micro crack and grain size of CVD thick film diamond contributed greatly to the wear process of CVD thick film diamond tools. The effects caused by the factors were also analyzed in detail in the paper.

Field emission from Si tips coated with nanocrystalline diamond films

The electron field emission from Si tips coated with nanocrystalline diamond films was investigated. The Si tips were formed by plasma etching, and nano-diamond films were deposited on the Si tips by hot filament chemical vapor deposition. The radius of curvature for the Si tips was averagely about 50 nm. The microstructure of the diamond films was examined by scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The field emission properties of the samples were measured in an ion-pumped vacuum chamber at a pressure of 106 Pa. The experimental results showed that the nanostructured films on Si tips exhibited a lower value of the turn-on electric field than those on flat Si substrates. It was found that the tip shape and non-diamond phase in the films had a significant effect on the field emission properties of the films.

Atomic scale KMC simulation of {100} oriented CVD diamond film growth under low substrate temperature—Part I Simulation of CVD diamond film growth under Joe-Badgwell-Hauge model

The growth of (100} oriented CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) diamond film under Joe-Badgwell-Hauge (J-B-H) model is simulated at atomic scale by using revised KMC (Kinetic Monte Carlo) method. The results show that: (1) under Joe's model, the growth mechanism from single carbon species is suitable for the growth of (100) oriented CVD diamond film in low temperature; (2) the deposition rate and surface roughness (Rq) under Joe's model are influenced intensively by temperature (Ta) and not evident bymass fraction W of atom chlorine; (3)the surface roughness increases with the deposition rate, i.e. the film quality becomes worse with elevated temperature, in agreement with Grujicic's prediction; (4) the simulation results cannot make sure the role of single carbon insertion.

Atomic scale KMC simulation of {100} oriented CVD diamond film growth under low substrate temperature-Part Ⅱ Simulation of CVD diamond film growth in C-H system and in Cl-containing systems

The growth of {100}-oriented CVD diamond film under two modifications ofJ-B-H model at low substrate temperatures was simulated by using a revised KMC method at atomicscale. The results were compared both in Cl-containing systems and in C-H system as follows: (1)Substrate temperature can produce an important effect both on film deposition rate and on surfaceroughness; (2) Aomic Cl takes an active role for the growth of diamond film at low temperatures; (3){100}-oriented diamond film cannot deposit under single carbon insertion mechanism, which disagreeswith the predictions before; (4) The explanation of the exact role of atomic Cl is not provided inthe simulation results.

Ohmic and Schottky contacts of hydrogenated and oxygenated boron-doped single-crystal diamond with hill-like polycrystalline grains

Hill-like polycrystalline diamond grains(HPDGs)randomly emerged on a heavy boron-doped p+single-crystal diamond(SCD)film by prolonging the growth duration of the chemical vapor deposition process.The Raman spectral results confirm that a relatively higher boron concentration(~1.1×10^(21) cm^(-3))is detected on the HPDG with respect to the SCD region(~5.4×10^(20) cm^(-3)).It demonstrates that the Au/SCD interface can be modulated from ohmic to Schottky contact by varying the surface from hydrogen to oxygen termination.The current-voltage curve between two HPDGs is nearly linear with either oxygen or hydrogen termination,which means that the HPDGs provide a leakage path to form an ohmic contact.There are obvious rectification characteristics between oxygen-terminated HPDGs and SCD based on the difference in boron doping levels in those regions.The results reveal that the highly boron-doped HPDGs grown in SCD can be adopted as ohmic electrodes for Hall measurement and electronic devices.

Thermal Stress in Free-standing Diamond Films with Cr Interlayer Destroyed

Thermal stress in large area free-standing diamond films was remarkable during the post-deposition cooling of direct current （DC） arc plasma jet chemical vapor deposition （CVD） process.In this research,the stress release caused by delamination of Cr interlayer was of great importance to ensure the integrity of free-standing diamond film.The effects of Cr interlayer on Mo substrate,namely composite substrate,on thermal stress were investigated.Thermo-mechanical coupling analysis of the thermal stress was applied by finite element analysis （FEA） using ANSYS code.It was found that the interlayer could be destroyed first by the large thermal stress,and then the stress could be released and the probability of diamond film crack initiation would be reduced.The stress concentration at the bent edge of diamond film was also discussed.In addition,diamond films deposited on Mo substrates with and without Cr interlayer were prepared by DC arc plasma jet CVD system and experimental measurements were used to characterize these films.It was found that composite substrate could be an effective method of growing free-standing crack-free diamond films by DC arc plasma jet CVD system when there is no special requirement to the film strength.