Enhancement of (100) texture in diamond films grown using a temperature gradient

Diamond films with dominant (100) texture were grown with a temperature gradient across the Si (100) substrates using hot filament chemical vapor deposition technique. Deposition was carried out with 0.8% CH4 in balance hydrogen at an average substrate temperature of 880°C. The deposition pressure was varied between 20-120 torr. Films were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). XRD shows very strong (400) reflection in all the samples. SEM results show a smooth diamond surface comprised of (100) platelets. As the (100) diamond plates were grown on top of the (100) oriented silicon substrate the faces are more or less aligned parallel with the substrate surface, resulting in a relatively smoother diamond surfaces. FTIR studies show novel features in the films. Quantitative analysis was carried out to measure the H content in the films. / © Elsevier