CVD Diamond Films Growth on Silicon Nitride Inserts (Si_3N_4) with High Nucleation Density by Functionalization Seeding

摘要

Silicon Nitride is largely used as the base material to manufacture cutting tools. Due to its low thermal expansion coefficient it is ideal candidate for CVD diamond deposition. In this work, we functionalized the surface of silicon nitride inserts (Si_3N_4) with a polymer (PDDA - Poly (diallyldimethylamonium chloride - Mw 40000)) to promote seeding with nanodiamond particles. The seeding was performed in water slurry containing 4 nm diamond particles dispersed by PSS - Poly (sodium4-styrenesulfonate) polymer. CVD diamond films, with high nucleation density, were deposited in a hot filament reactor. Film morphology was characterized by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Diamond film quality was determined by Raman Spectroscopy. CVD diamond film adherence was evaluated using Rockwell C indentation.