Structural evolution during chemical vapor deposition of diamond thin films

Abstract

In situ phase-modulated ellipsometry was employed to monitor the nucleation and growth processes of diamond thin films fabricated by chemical vapor deposition. The effective extinction coefficient (k) at 1.96 eV was used as a basis for dividing the deposition process into intervals. The film growth was aborted at various k values yielding diamond film samples that represent snapshots of the growth process at different stages. Ex situ characterization of the films was performed using Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and x-ray diffraction. The results indicate that the diamond film deposition process consists of various stages in which the crystalline quality, the net compressive stress, and the relative amount of non-sp3 carbon follow different trends. A correlation between the effective k value measured in situ and the film microstructure characterized ex situ was established which enables the monitoring of the diamond film growth process in real time.