DEPOSITION OF DIAMOND FILM BY A MAGNETIZED DC PLASMA JET

Abstract

A low pressure DC plasma jet has been used to obtain diamond films from a mixture of CH₄ and H₂ with high deposition rate (>1.5 m/min). The effects of the deposition conditions such as the torch geometry, substrate temperature, gas mixing ratio, chamber pressure, axial magnetic field on the diamond film properties such as the morphology, purity, uniformity of the film and deposition rate, etc. have been examined with the aid of Scanning Electron Microscopy, X-Ray Diffraction, and Raman Spectroscopy. Both the growth rate and particle size increase with the substrate temperature but the morphology changes from the faceted to the unshaped when the temperature deviates from its proper range. The growth rate increases rapidly for low methane concentrations but it saturates and the morphology changes from the octahedral to cubic structure when the concentration exceeds 1.0% Higher growth rates (>1.5 m/min).can be obtained by applying an axial magnetic field to the DC plasma jet. Diamond obtained from the magnetized plasma jet also shows a sharp peak at 1332.5 cm^-11 in the Raman Spectra and this result implies that higher growth rate with a good quality diamond films can be obtained by applying an external magnetic field to the plasma Jet