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°C. 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°C 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°C extends into broadband indicates that the film is of nanophase. No graphite peak appeared in the XRD pattern confirms that the film is mainly composed of SP3 carbon. The diamond peak in the XRD pattern also broadens due to the nanocrystalline of the film.