Experimental Study of Diamond Nucleation by Plasmon Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition.

摘要

The efforts over the performance period focused on the nucleation of diamond by plasmon assisted chemical vapor deposition, characterization of diamond nanoparticles, and direct conversion of the polymer poly(hydridocarbyne) to diamond. We adapted the hot-filament CVD methods used in conventional CVD diamond to our plasmon assisted CVD (PACVD) setup and explored the growth of diamond using in situ Raman spectroscopy. With the addition of the filament, we were able to observe carbon deposition and etching of amorphous carbon. We were able to form diamond-like carbon. For comparison, we examined commercially available diamond nanoparticles of varying percent sp3 bonding with visible and UV Raman spectroscopy. As an alternative route to diamond nucleation, we synthesized poly(hydridocarbyne) (PHC), and used it as a carbon source for PACVD. In situ Raman spectroscopy taken during plasmon heating pyrolysis of PHC in open air indicated transformation of the polymer from amorphous carbon to what we believe is hexagonal diamond.