Comparison of α particle detectors based on single-crystal diamond films grown in two types of gas atmospheres by microwave plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition

Chemical vapor deposition(CVD)-grown diamond films have been developed as irradiation-resistant materials to replace or upgrade current detectors for use in extreme radiation environments. However, their sensitivity in practical applications has been inhibited by space charge stability issues caused by defects and impurities in pure diamond crystal materials. In this study, two high-quality CVD-grown single-crystal diamond(SCD) detectors with low content of nitrogen impurities were fabricated and characterized. The intrinsic properties of the SCD samples were characterized using Raman spectroscopy, stereomicroscopy, and X-ray diffraction with the rocking curve mode, cathode luminescence(CL), and infrared and ultraviolet-visible-near infrared spectroscopies. After packaging the detectors, the dark current and energy resolution under α particle irradiation were investigated. Dark currents of less than 5 pA at 100 V were obtained after annealing the electrodes, which is comparable with the optimal value previously reported. The detector that uses a diamond film with higher nitrogen content showed poor energy resolution, whereas the detector with more dislocations showed poor charge collection efficiency(CCE). This demonstrates that the nitrogen content in diamond has a significant effect on the energy resolution of detectors, while the dislocations in diamond largely contribute to the poor CCE of detectors.

Relationship between the spatial position of the seed and growth mode for single-crystal diamond grown with an enclosed-type holder

The relationship between the spatial position of the diamond seed and growth mode is investigated with an enclosedtype holder for single-crystal diamond growth using the microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition epitaxial method.The results demonstrate that there are three main regions by varying the spatial position of the seed.Due to the plasma concentration occurring at the seed edge,a larger depth is beneficial to transfer the plasma to the holder surface and suppress the polycrystalline diamond rim around the seed edge.However,the plasma density at the edge decreases drastically when the depth is too large,resulting in the growth of a vicinal grain plane and the reduction of surface area.By adopting an appropriate spatial location,the size of single-crystal diamond can be increased from 7 mm×7 mm×0.35 mm to8.6 mm×8.6 mm×2.8 mm without the polycrystalline diamond rim.

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.

Fabrication of a single-crystal diamond neutron detector and its application in 14.1 MeV neutron detection in deuterium-tritium fusion experiments

A single-crystal diamond detector is fabricated to diagnose 14.1 MeV deuterium-tritium(D-T)fusion neutrons.The size of its diamond film is 4.5 mm×4.5 mm×500μm.This film is sandwiched by a flat,strip-patterned gold electrode.The dark current of this detector is experimentally measured to be lower than 0.1 nA under an electric field of 30 kV cm^(-1).This diamond detector is used to measure D-T fusion neutrons with a flux of about 7.5×10^(5) s^(-1)cm^(-2).The pronounced peak with a central energy of 8.28 MeV characterizing the^(12)C(n,α)~9Be reaction in the neutron energy spectrum is experimentally diagnosed,and the energy resolution is better than 1.69%,which is the best result reported so far using a diamond detector.A clear peak with a central energy of 6.52 MeV characterizing the^(12)C(n,n')3αreaction is also identified with an energy resolution of better than 7.67%.

C-H-F氛围下金刚石薄膜的低温CVD生长过程分析

基于第一性原理的密度泛函理论对C-H-F氛围下低温CVD金刚石薄膜的生长过程进行仿真分析,计算H、F原子在氢终止金刚石表面发生萃取反应的吸附能、反应热与反应能垒,并分析CF_(3)、CF_(2)、CF 3种生长基团在带有活性位点基底上的吸附。结果表明:与H原子相比,F原子更容易在氢终止金刚石表面萃出H,并以HF形式脱附,且在C-H-F氛围下有利于在低温时产生更多的活性位点;CF_(3)、CF_(2)、CF基团在吸附后的结构和吸附能绝对值都更有利于金刚石相的生成,适当提高CF_(3)、CF_(2)、CF基团的浓度有助于实现金刚石相的更高速率生长。

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.

A MONTE CARLO SIMULATION OF THE CVD DIAMOND FILM

A Monte Carlo algorithm has been developed by the authors to simulate the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) processes of diamond films. The method considers both the diffusion and the incorporation of the growth radicals on the growing surface in simulating the evolution of the morphology and microstructure. The calculation of configuration energy is used to determine the orientation of adsorbed growth radicals. The effect of processing variables such as nucleation density and substrate temperature on the morphology and microstructure is discussed. It is found that competitive characteristic and coarsening effect exist in the simulation results, which agree with the experimental observations.

OES study of the gas phase during diamond films deposition in high power DC arc plasma jet CVD system

This paper used optical emission spectroscopy （OES） to study the gas phase in high power DC arc plasma jet chemical vapour deposition （CVD） during diamond films growth processes. The results show that all the deposition parameters （methane concentration, substrate temperature, gas flow rate and ratio of H2/Ar） could strongly influence the gas phase. C2 is found to be the most sensitive radical to deposition parameters among the radicals in gas phase. Spatially resolved OES implies that a relative high concentration of atomic H exists near the substrate surface, which is beneficial for diamond film growth. The relatively high concentrations of C2 and CH are correlated with high deposition rate of diamond. In our high deposition rate system, C2 is presumed to be the main growth radical, and CH is also believed to contribute the diamond deposition.

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.

A review on polishing technology of large area free-standing CVD diamond films

Recently,with the rapid development of chemical vapor deposition(CVD)technology,large area free-standing CVD diamond films have been produced successfully.However,the coarse grain size on the surface and the non-uniform thickness of unprocessed CVD diamond films make it difficult to meet the application requirement.The current study evaluates several existing polishing methods for CVD diamond films,including mechanical polishing,chemical mechanical polishing and tribochemical polishing technology.

Prediction of the Interface Temperature Rise in Tribochemical Polishing of CVD Diamond

Tribochemcial polishing is one of the most efficient methods for polishing CVD （Chemical Vapor Deposition） diamond film due to the use of catalytic metal. However the difficulty to control the interface temperature during polishing process often results in low material removal because of the unstable contact process. So this research investigates the contact process in the tribo- chemical polishing of CVD diamond film and proposes a dynamic contact model for predicting the actual contact area, the actual contact pressure, and the interface tem- perature in the polishing process. This model has been verified by characterizing surface metrology of the CVD diamond with Talysurf CLI2000 3D Surface Topography and measuring the polishing temperature. The theoretical and experimental results shows that the height distribution of asperities on diamond film surface in the polishing process is well evaluated by combining the height distribution of original and polished asperities. The modeled surface asperity height distribution of diamond film agrees with the actual surface metrology in polishing process. The actual contact pressure is very large due to the small actual contact area. The predicted interface temperature can reach the catalytic reaction temperature between diamond and polishing plate when the lowest rotation speed and load are 10 000 r/min and 50 N, respectively, and diamond material is significantly removed. The model may provide effective process theory for tribochemcial polishing.

Preparation and Characterization of High Quality Diamond Films by DC ArcPlasma Jet CVD Method

Under optimal conditions free-standing high quality diamond films were prepared by DC arc plasma jet CVD method at a growth rate of 7-10 Pm/h. Surface and cross section morphologies of the diamond films were observed by SEM. Raman spectrometer wasused to characterize the quality of diamond films. The IR transmittivity measured by IR spectrometer is close to the theoretical value ofabout 71% in the far infrared band. The thermal conductivity measured by photothermal deflection exceeds 18 W/cm' K. <l 10> is thepreferential growth orientation of the films detected by X-ray diffractometer. As s result, the extremely high temperature of DC arc plasma jet can produce supersaturated atomic hydrogen, which played an important role in the process for the deposition of high quality diamond films.

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.

Selective growth of diamond by hot filament CVD using patterned carbon film as mask

Selected-area deposition (SAD) of diamond films was achieved on silicon substrates with carbon film mask by hot filament chemical vapor deposition.Needle tip scraped lines were used to grow diamond films.Scanning electron microscope (SEM) investigation demonstrates that highly selective and sharp edged diamond films were produced.The results also demonstrate that the proper substrate temperature is very important for diamond selective growth in this deposition process.Since the enhancement of diamond growth was not observed on the needle tip scraped area of Si wafer with diamond powder scratching,the selective growth was considered to be closely correlated to silicon carbide formed during carbon film deposition and the residual carbon in the scraped area.

The glass roller cutter made of CVD diamond film

As a cutting tool,diamond films made by chemical vapor deposition(CVD) outperformed polycrystalline diamond(PCD) sintered under ultrahigh pressure.For example,the longevity of the CVD tools may be 2～5 times that of PCD inserts.In addition,the former cutting paths are strainghter with less chipping on the edge.However,there have been no report on CVD diamond films that were used as a roller scriber for splitting large glass panels.Our research demonstrated that the CVD diamond film could concentrate the energy in a smaller area(about 1/4),so the glass compressed by the tip of the diamond film was under a larger tensile stress in perpendicular to the direction of compression.The tensile stress then initiated the microcracks that were more in line with the direction of the compression. The reason that CVD diamond film could concentrate the compressive stress was due to its 100%diamond content.The high diamond content could allow the tip to be polished sharper.In contrast,the PCD cutting tip contained micro grains of cobalt that were softer than glass.As a result,the compressional stress was spreading out due to the larger area of contact.Consequently,the microcracks initiated at the PCD tip were random and they might not propagate along the direction of cutting.

CVD金刚石纳秒激光烧蚀机理及抛光试验研究(内封面文章·特邀)

通过有限元仿真研究了激光入射角度对纳秒激光烧蚀CVD金刚石的表面创成过程影响,并结合纳秒激光烧蚀CVD金刚石的试验,探究了激光功率、激光入射倾角与光斑重叠率等参数对CVD金刚石表面形貌及表面粗糙度的影响,分析了表面损伤的形成机理。在一定激光功率下,激光入射倾角增大会明显减轻加工表面的陷光效应,从而获得更加均匀的表面形貌。激光烧蚀CVD金刚石表面以沟槽、裂纹等为主要表面损伤特征,通过优化激光加工参数抑制了材料的表面损伤,降低了材料的表面粗糙度数值,实现了基于纳秒激光入射角度和扫描轨迹控制的CVD金刚石均匀抛光去除。

Relationship between texture and residual macro-strain in CVD diamond films based on phenomenological analysis

The relationship between texture and elastic properties of chemical vapor deposition （CVD） diamond films was analyzed based on the phenomenological theory, which reveals the influence of crystalline orientation and texture on the residual macro-strain and macro-stress. The phenomenological calculations indicated that the difference in Young＇s modulus could be 15% in single diamond crystals and 5% in diamond films with homogeneously distributed strong fiber texture. The experimentally measured residual strains of free-standing CVD diamond films were in good agreement with the correspondingly calculated Young＇s modulus in connection with the multi-fiber textures in the films, though the difference in Young＇s modulus induced by texture was only around 1%. It is believed that texture should be one of the important factors influencing the residual stress and strain of CVD diamond films.

Adhesive strength of CVD diamond thin films quantitatively measured by means of the bulge and blister test

Large advancement has been made in understanding the nucleation and growth of chemical vapor deposition （CVD） diamond, but the adhesion of CVD diamond to substrates is poor and there is no good method for quantitative evaluation of the adhesive strength. The blister test is a potentially powerful tool for characterizing the mechanical properties of diamond films. In this test, pressure was applied on a thin membrane and the out-of-plane deflection of the membrane center was measured. The Young＇s modulus, residual stress, and adhesive strength were simultaneously determined using the load-deflection behavior of a membrane. The free-standing window sample of diamond thin films was fabricated by means of photolithography and anisotropic wet etching. The research indicates that the adhesive strength of diamond thin films is 4.28±0.37 J/m^2. This method uses a simple apparatus, and the fabrication of samples is very easy.

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.