Investigation of 〈100〉-oriented etching pattern on diamond coated with Ni and Cu

Diamond etching of [Formula: see text] orientation is processed in chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chamber using H 2 as reactive gas. Etching process happens on diamond substrates using a variety of etch mask materials including copper and nickel. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM) show different kinds of diamond etching pattern of two mask materials. It is observed that the etching pit of copper is tetrahedron, while the etching pit of nickel is step structure. This indicates diverse etching mechanism of diamond etched by different metal. Observing the surface etching topography of diamond and analyzing the etching mechanism of different metal can help study the growth of diamond by CVD and controllable etching of diamond.