Diamond Particles Deposited among Nickel/Copper Particles in Energy Controlled CH₄/H₂ RF Discharge Plasmas

Junichi Emi, Satoru Iizuka

Department of Electrical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan..

DOI: 10.4236/jsemat.2012.23025                

Abstract

Formation of diamond particles was investigated in an energy-controlled CH4/H2 radio-frequency (RF) discharge plasma. Here, in particular, it was examined how diamond particles grew on a nickel substrate under an influence of Cu vapor that was supplied from a heated Cu wire. Here, the plasma was generated by a hollow-magnetron-type (HMT) RF plasma source at the frequency of 13.56 MHz. Total pressure was kept at 100 mTorr. Diamond particles grew besides Ni and Cu particles. From Raman spectrum the substrate surface was covered with thin graphite film deposited as a background layer. It was shown that diamond could grow in a self-organized manner even when the other atomic gas species such as Ni and Cu were contained in the gas at the same time during the growth process.

Keywords

Diamond Microparticle; Diamond Growth; Self-Organization; Graphite; Cu Particle

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	W. E. Picket, M. R. Pederson, K. A. Jackson and S. C. Erwin, “Theoretical Electronic Structure Studies of Diamond: Surfaces, Adsorbates, Defects and Heterointerfaces,” Materials Science and Engineering: B, Vol. 14, No. 1, 1992, pp. 87-92. doi:10.1016/0921-5107(92)90334-6
[2]	P. C. Yang, W. Zhu and J. T. Glass, “Nucleation of Oriented Diamond Films on Nickel Substrates,” Journal of Materials Research, Vol. 8, No. 8, 1993, pp. 1773-1776. doi:10.1557/JMR.1993.1773
[3]	M. Ece, B. Oral and J. Patscheider, “Nucleation and Growth of Diamond Films on Mo and Cu Substrates,” Diamond and Related Materials, Vol. 5, No. 3-5, 1996, pp. 211-216.
[4]	Y. J. Chen and T. F. Young, “Thermal Stress and Heat Transfer Characteristics of a Cu/Diamond/Cu Heat Spreading Device,” Diamond and Related Materials, Vol. 18, No. 2-3, 2009, pp. 283-286.
[5]	P. Hui and H. S. Tan, “Temperature Distributions in a Heat Dissipation System Using a Cylindrical Diamond Heat Spreader on a Copper Heat Sink,” Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 75, No. 2, 1994, pp. 748-757. doi:10.1063/1.356480
[6]	A. Fernandes, A. Neves, R. F. Silva and M. H. Nazare, “Evaluation of MPCVD Diamond Film Adhesion on Hard Metal Substrates by Micro Raman Spectroscopy,” Diamond and Related Materials, Vol. 6, No. 5-7, 1997, pp. 769-773.
[7]	T. Shimizu, S. Iizuka, K. Kato and N. Sato, “High Quality Diamond Formation by Electron Temperature Control in Methane-Hydrogen Plasma,” Plasma Sources Science and Technology, Vol. 12, No. 4, 2003, pp. 821-825. doi:10.1088/0963-0252/12/4/316
[8]	G. Nishimura, S. Iizuka, G. Uchida and N. Sato, “Diamond-Particles Levitated in a Reactive Plasma,” Diamond and Related Mate-rials, Vol. 12, No. 3-7, 2003, pp. 374-377.
[9]	R. Ikada, G. Nishimura, K. Kato and S. Iizuka, “Production of High Density and Low Electron-Temperature Plasma by a Modified Grid-Biasing Method Using Inductively Coupled RF Discharge,” Thin Solid Films, Vol. 457, No. 1, 2004, pp. 55-58. doi:10.1016/j.tsf.2003.12.013
[10]	K. Kato, S. Iizuka, N. Sato, “Electron-Temperature Control for Plasmas Passing through a Negatively Biased Grid,” Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 65, No. 7, 1994, pp. 816-818. doi.org/10.1063/1.112240