Nucleation and early growth of CVD diamond on silicon nitride

Buchkremer-Hermanns, H.; Ren, Huizhi; Kohlschein, G.; Weiß, Horst

doi:10.1016/s0257-8972(97)00237-5

Cited by 20 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…The nucleation density (about 10 7 cm −2 ) is also estimated from samples after a 5‐h deposition. This result is slightly lower than previously reported data derived from sintered ceramic bulk substrates, 9 probably due to the more defective structures such as grain boundary, scratches, and pinholes on the sintered substrate surfaces acting as preferential nucleation sites for diamond. A cross‐sectional view of the diamond film formed on a SiN x layer displays a typical columnar structure and a thickness of about 5 μm.…”

Section: Resultscontrasting

confidence: 78%

“…There have been a series of successful reports on direct diamond coatings on various sintered ceramic substrates, [6][7][8][9][10] while details about the diamond growth on ceramic films are relatively scarce. 11,12 On the one hand, the chemical/structural nature of the ceramic films, depending on the synthesis conditions, may vary and the subsequent diamond growth behavior will be significantly affected.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Diamond Growth on a Si Substrate With Ceramic Interlayers

Xiao

Hirose

et al. 2007

Journal of the American Ceramic Society

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Deposition of diamond films on Si substrates precoated with a series of ceramic intermediate layers was examined. The interlayers containing SiC, SiNx, SiCN, TiSiN, and TiAlSiN were prepared by a liquid injection plasma‐enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) method using alkoxide solution precursors. The subsequent diamond synthesis on these coatings was carried out by microwave plasma‐assisted CVD (MPCVD) using a H2–1%CH4 mixture. A higher nucleation density of diamond was obtained on these intermediate layers than on the as‐polished Si wafer, along with a nonuniform surface distribution of diamond. Diamond powder scratching pretreatment of these interlayers enhanced the nucleation density and promoted the formation of fully uniform diamond films. Particularly, nanocrystalline diamond films were directly generated on TiSiN and TiAlSiN layers under an identical deposition condition that had favored the formation of microcrystalline diamond films on Si wafers and the Si(C,N) interlayers. The mechanism for this difference is attributed primarily to a higher amount of residual amorphous carbon in TiSiN and TiAlSiN layers than that inside Si(C,N) layers.

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Section: Resultscontrasting

confidence: 78%

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confidence: 99%

Diamond Growth on a Si Substrate With Ceramic Interlayers

Xiao

Hirose

et al. 2007

Journal of the American Ceramic Society

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“…According to a previous study, 3 the chemical nature of the amorphous intergranular phase of the Si 3 N 4 materials was found to be deleterious for diamond nucleation. This is a controversial matter, as the opposite view has been advanced by other authors, 14 in contrast to others. 11 The results after the CF 4 plasma attack, which preserves the glassy phase, corroborate this model, as almost no diamond nuclei are detectable at the CF sample surface (Fig.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…The initial H 2 etching period before methane introduction in the reactor was insufficient to allow a preferred attack of the intergranular glassy phase, contrary to other reports. 14 The bright appearance of the diamond nuclei is due to the charge effect. After 6 h of diamond deposition ( Fig.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…S ILICON NITRIDE (Si 3 N 4 ) based ceramics are considered adequate substrates for growth of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of diamond films for mechanical applications [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] since they are hard and tough and, above all, they exhibit a thermal expansion coefficient close to that of diamond. This minimizes the interfacial residual stresses between the film and the substrate and ensures superior adhesion.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Surface Pretreatments of Silicon Nitride for CVD Diamond Deposition

Belmonte¹,

Silva²,

Fernandes³

et al. 2003

Journal of the American Ceramic Society

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The efficiency of different surface pretreatments (four standard chemical etchings and four diamond powder abrasive procedures) on silicon nitride (Si 3 N 4 ) substrates for chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of diamond has been systematically investigated. Blank Si 3 N 4 samples were polished with colloidal silica (ϳ0.25 m). Diamond nucleation and growth runs were conducted in a microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition apparatus for 10 min and 6 h, respectively. Superior results concerning nucleation density (N d ϳ 10 10 cm ؊2 after 10 min), film uniformity, and grain size (below 2 m after 6 h) were obtained for the mechanically microflawed samples, revealing that chemical etchings (hot and cold strong acids, molten base or CF 4 plasma) are not crucial for good CVD diamond quality on Si 3 N 4 .

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