Hydrogen plasma etching of diamond films deposited on graphite

I. Villalpando, P. John, S. Porro, J. I B Wilson

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

39 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Poly- and nanocrystalline diamond films have been deposited using microwave plasma enhanced CVD with gas mixtures of x%CH4/15%H2/Ar (x = 0.5, 1, 3, and 5). After deposition the resulting films were exposed to a hydrogen plasma etching for 30 min. The hydrogen plasma produced preferential etching of non-diamond carbon on the surface of the samples and the development of steps and pits. Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses on the etched films showed increased sp3/sp2 ratio and decreased surface oxygen. The etch mechanism proposed is regression of pre-existing steps and step flow. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)711-716
Number of pages6
JournalDiamond and Related Materials
Volume20
Issue number5-6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 2011

Keywords

  • CVD diamond
  • Diamond etching
  • Diamond on graphite
  • Hydrogen plasma erosion
  • Raman spectroscopy
  • XPS

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Hydrogen plasma etching of diamond films deposited on graphite'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this