Abstract
Three types of growth defects commonly found epitaxial diamond films grown by chemical vapour deposition (CVD), namely unepitaxial crystals (UCs), hillocks with flat top (FHs) and pyramidal hillocks (PHs), were etched using hydrogen/oxygen plasma to discuss their origin. UCs formed at random locations on the grown layer without any apparent relation with the substrate. Their nucleation might be due to contaminants and their development controlled by the growth conditions in the plasma. In contrast, dislocations formed from impurities segregated at the interface between the substrate and the CVD layer, were found to be the origin of the FHs and the PHs. A simple crystal model that involves micro-faceting or twinning at an intrinsic stacking fault originating from the dislocation core is proposed to explain the formation and the evolution of the growth defects.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 60-65 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Diamond and Related Materials |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2008 Jan |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Defects
- Etching
- Homoepitaxy
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Mechanical Engineering
- Physics and Astronomy(all)
- Materials Chemistry
- Chemistry(all)
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering