Influence of substrate topography on the nucleation of diamond thin films

摘要

Polycrystalline diamond films are of interest because of their unique materials properties. However, depositing films with the desired morphology is hindered by the difficulty in controlling the nucleation process. A popular method of enhancing the nucleation rate and density is to abrade the substrate with diamond powder before deposition. Although effective, this procedure is difficult to analyze since it may leave residual powder, may introduce damage, and may modify the surface topography. In order to separate these effects, we have studied the nucleation on chemically etched silicon substrates. Our results show that the majority of nucleation events occur on protruding surface features.