Growth of diamond thin films by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition process

A very high vacuum compatible microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition system has been fabricated for the growth of diamond thin films. Microcrystalline diamond thin films have been grown on silicon substrates from the CH4−H2 gas mixture. Scanning electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction have been used to study the surface morphology and the crystallographic structure of the films. Optical emission spectroscopy has been used for the detection of chemical species present in the plasma. The strong dependence of the film microstructure on the intensity of CH emission line has been observed.