Microwave Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition of Diamond Films on Silicon From Ethanol and Hydrogen

Diamond films with very smooth surface and good optical quality have been deposited onto silicon substrate using microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) from a gas mixture of ethanol and hydrogen at a low substrate temperature of 450 ℃. The effects of the substrate temperature on the diamond nucleation and the morphology of the diamond film have been investigated and observed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The microstructure and the phase of the film have been characterized using Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The diamond nucleation density significantly decreases with the increasing of the substrate temperature. There are only sparse nuclei when the substrate temperature is higher than 800 ℃ although the ethanol concentration in hydrogen is very high. That the characteristic diamond peak in the Raman spectrum of a diamond film prepared at a low substrate temperature of 450 ℃ extends into broadband indicates that the film is of nanophase. No graphite peak appeare

Preparation of Nano-Crystalline Diamond Films on Poly-Crystalline Diamond Thick Films by Microwave Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition

Nano-crystalline diamond （NCD） films were prepared on poly-crystalline diamond （PCD） thick flims by the microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition （MPCVD） method. Free standing PCD thick film （50 mm in diameter） with a thickness of 413 μm was deposited in CHn/H2 plasma. It was then abraded for 2 hours and finally cut into pieces in a size of 10×10 mm^2 by pulse laser. NCD fihns were deposited on the thick film substrates by introducing a micro-crystalline diamond （MCD） interlayer. Results showed that a higher carbon concentration （5%） and a lower substrate temperature （650℃） were feasible to obtain a highly smooth interlayer, and the appropriate addition of oxygen （2%） into the gas mixture was conducive to obtaining a smooth nano-crystalline diamond film with a tiny grain size.

Synthesis and Temperature-dependent Electrochemical Properties of Boron-doped Diamond Electrodes on Titanium

On the sand-blasting-treated titanium（Ti） substrate, the boron-doped diamond（BDD） electrodes with a wide potential window were prepared by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition（MPCVD）. The electrochemi- cal oxidation ratios of phenol at BDD/Ti electrodes at elevated temperatures（from 20 ℃ to 80 ℃） were examined by the chemical oxygen demand（COD） of phenol electrolyte during electrolysis. The results show that the COD removal was increased at high temperatures and the optimized temperature for enhancing the electrochemical oxidation ratio of phenol is 60 ℃. The mechanism for the temperature-dependent electrochemical oxidation ratios of phenol at the electrodes was investigated. The study would be favorable for further improving the performance of BDD/Ti elec- trodes, especially working at high temperatures.

Toughness enhancement of single-crystal diamond by the homoepitaxial growth of periodic nitrogen-doped nano-multilayers

Periodic nitrogen-doped homoepitaxial nano-multilayers were grown by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition. The residual time of gases(such as CH4and N2) in the chamber was determined by optical emission spectroscopy to determine the nano-multilayer growth process, and thin, nanoscale nitrogen-doped layers were obtained. The highest toughness of 18.2 MPa·m^(1/2)under a Young’s modulus of1000 GPa is obtained when the single-layer thickness of periodic nitrogen-doped nano-multilayers is about 96 nm. The fracture toughness of periodic nitrogen-doped CVD layer is about 2.1 times that of the HPHT seed substrate. Alternating tensile and compressive stresses are derived from periodic nitrogen doping;hence, the fracture toughness is significantly improved. Single-crystal diamond with a high toughness demonstrates wide application prospects for high-pressure anvils and single-point diamond cutting tools.

Origin,characteristics,and suppression of residual nitrogen in MPCVD diamond growth reactor

Unintentional nitrogen incorporation has been observed in a set of microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition(MPCVD)-grown samples.No abnormality has been detected on the apparatus especially the base pressure and feeding gas purity.By a comprehensive investigation including the analysis of the plasma composition,we found that a minor leakage of the system could be significantly magnified by the thermal effect,resulting in a considerable residual nitrogen in the diamond material.Moreover,the doping mechanism of leaked air is different to pure nitrogen doping.The dosage of several ppm of pure nitrogen can lead to efficient nitrogen incorporation in diamond,while at least thousands ppm of leaked air is required for detecting obvious residual nitrogen.The difference of the dosage has been ascribed to the suppression effect of oxygen that consumes nitrogen.As the unintentional impurity is basically detrimental to the controllable fabrication of diamond for electronic application,we have provided an effective way to suppress the residual nitrogen in a slightly leaked system by modifying the susceptor geometry.This study indicates that even if a normal base pressure can be reached,the nitrogen residing in the chamber can be“activated”by the thermal effect and thus be incorporated in diamond material grown by a MPCVD reactor.

Significant suppression of residual nitrogen incorporation in diamond film with a novel susceptor geometry employed in MPCVD

This work proposed to change the structure of the sample susceptor of the microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition(MPCVD)reaction chamber,that is,to introduce a small hole in the center of the susceptor to study its suppression effect on the incorporation of residual nitrogen in the MPCVD diamond film.By using COMSOL multiphysics software simulation,the plasma characteristics and the concentration of chemical reactants in the cylindrical cavity of MPCVD system were studied,including electric field intensity,electron number density,electron temperature,the concentrations of atomic hydrogen,methyl,and nitrogenous substances,etc.After introducing a small hole in the center of the molybdenum support susceptor,we found that no significant changes were found in the center area of the plasma,but the electron state in the plasma changed greatly on the surface above the susceptor.The electron number density was reduced by about 40%,while the electron temperature was reduced by about 0.02 eV,and the concentration of atomic nitrogen was decreased by about an order of magnitude.Moreover,we found that if a specific lower microwave input power is used,and a susceptor structure without the small hole is introduced,the change results similar to those in the surface area of the susceptor will be obtained,but the spatial distribution of electromagnetic field and reactant concentration will be changed.

Effect of Particle Density on the Aligned Growth of Carbon Nanotubes

Aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were prepared on Ni-coated Ni substrate by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MWPCVD) with a mixture of methane and hydrogen gases at temperature of 550℃.The experimental results show a direct correlation between the alignment of CNTs and the density of the catalyst particles at low temperature.When the particle density is high enough,among CNTs there are strong interactions that can inhibit CNTs from growing randomly.The crowding effect among dense CNTs results in the aligned growth of CNTs at low temperature.

Preparation of Mo_(2)C by MPCVD and Its Photocatalytic Properties

Mo2C was prepared by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition(MPCVD)technique with the power of 800 W and pressure of 18 kPa.Compared with traditional preparation methods,MPCVD has faster growth rate and higher purity of the products.The influence of growth time on the morphology and structure of Mo_(2)C was characterized by X-ray diffraction and Scanning Electron Microscopy.The photocatalytic performance of Mo_(2)C was tested.It was found that Mo_(2)C had good photocatalytic performance and the 6 h sample had the highest photodegradation rate,indicating the great potential of Mo_(2)C as photocatalyst.