Heteroepitaxial diamond thin film growth on Ir(001)/MgO(001) substrate by antenna-edge plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition (St. Elmo CVD)

Heteroepitaxial (001)diamond films are successfully grown on high-quality (001)Ir/(001)MgO substrates. To enhance the epitaxial nucleation and growth of the diamond, antenna-edge microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) has been used in the bias enhanced nucleation step. Subsequently, the diamond growth step is performed using conventional MPCVD in the <001> fast growth mode. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation and reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) reveal the epitaxial ordering of the deposited film over a 2-3 mm² area. (2×1) reconstructed structure patterns have also been observed which indicates that the surface of the diamond film is very smooth. The mean roughness is less than 2 nm in a 10 μm² area as revealed by atomic force microscopy observations.