Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-vfjqv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T07:19:19.624Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Role of nitrogen in the homoepitaxial growth on diamond anvils by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 March 2011

Wei Qiu ,
Yogesh K. Vohra  and
Samuel T. Weir
Wei Qiu
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Birmingham, Alabama 35294-1170
Yogesh K. Vohra*
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Birmingham, Alabama 35294-1170
Samuel T. Weir
Affiliation:
L-281, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, University of California, Livermore, California 94550
*
a) Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: ykvohra@uab.edu
Get access

Abstract

The catalytic effect of nitrogen during the homoepitaxial diamond growth on a diamond anvil was investigated using isotopically enriched carbon-13 methane in a feed-gas mixture in a microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition reactor. The use of isotopically enriched carbon-13 allows us to precisely measure the film thickness in this homoepitaxial growth process by Raman spectroscopy. It is found that the addition of 0.4 sccm of nitrogen to an H2/CH4/O2 gas-phase mixture increases the growth rate by a factor of 2.3. This enhanced growth rate with the addition of trace amounts of nitrogen allows for a quick encapsulation of embedded sensors in the designer diamond anvils and is a key control parameter in the fabrication process. Photoluminescence spectroscopy reveals nitrogen-vacancy defect centers in the high-growth-rate diamonds. Atomic force microscopy reveals dramatic changes in the surface microstructure as is indicated by a total loss of step-flow growth morphology on the addition of nitrogen in the plasma.

Keywords

DiamondEpitaxyPlasma-enhanced (CVD) (PECVD) (deposition)
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 22 , Issue 4 , April 2007 , pp. 1112 - 1117
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1Jayaraman, A.: Ultrahigh pressures. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 57, 1013 (1986).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2Weir, S.T., Akella, J., Ruddle, C.A., Vohra, Y.K., and Catledge, S.A.: Epitaxial diamond encapsulation of metal microprobes for high pressure experiments. Appl. Phys. Lett. 77, 3400 (2000).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3Vohra, Y.K. and Weir, S.T.: Designer diamond anvils in high pressure research: Recent results and future opportunities, in Proceedings of the International School of Physics: Enrico Fermi, Course CXLVII, edited by Hemley, R.J., Chiarotti, G.I., Bernascoini, M. and Ulivi, L. (IOS Press, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2002), pp. 87–105.Google Scholar
4Jackson, D.D., Malba, V., Weir, S.T., Baker, P.A., and Vohra, Y.K.: High pressure magnetic susceptibility experiments on the heavy lanthanides Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, and Tm. Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter 71, 184416 (2005).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5Velisavljevic, N., MacMinn, K.M., Vohra, Y.K., and Weir, S.T.: Electrical measurements on praseodymium metal to 179 GPa using designer diamond anvils. Appl. Phys. Lett. 84, 927 (2004).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
6Yan, C.S., Vohra, Y.K., Mao, H.K., and Hemley, R.J.: Very high growth rate chemical vapor deposition of single-crystal diamond. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 99, 12523 (2002).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7Chayahara, A., Mokuno, Y., Horino, Y., Takasu, Y., Kato, H., Yoshikawa, H., and Fujimori, N.: The effect of nitrogen addition during high-rate homoepitaxial growth of diamond by microwave plasma CVD. Diamond Relat. Mater. 13, 1954 (2004).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8Cao, G.Z., Schermer, J.J., van Enckewort, W.J.P., Elst, W.A.L.M., and Giling, L.J.: Growth of {100} textured diamond films by addition of nitrogen. J. Appl. Phys. 79, 1357 (1996).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9Wild, C., Kohl, R., Herres, N., Muller-Sebert, W., and Koidl, P.: Oriented CVD diamond films: Twin formation, structure, and morphology. Diamond Relat. Mater. 3, 374 (1994).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10Clausing, R.E., Heatherly, L., Horton, L.L., Specht, E.D., Begun, G.M., and Wang, Z.I.: Textures and morphologies of chemical vapor deposited (CVD) diamond. Diamond Relat. Mater. 1, 411 (1992).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11Catledge, S.A. and Vohra, Y.K.: Effect of nitrogen addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of diamond films grown using high methane concentration. J. Appl. Phys. 86, 698 (1999).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12Davies, G.: Current problems in diamond: Towards a quantitative understanding. Physica B 273–274, 15 (1999).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
13Clark, C.D., Collins, A.T., and Woods, G.S.: Absorption and luminescence spectroscopy, in The Properties of Natural and Synthetic Diamond edited by Field, J.E. (Academic Press, San Diego, CA, 1992), p. 35.Google Scholar
14Jin, S. and Moustakas, T.D.: Effect of nitrogen on the growth of diamond films. Appl. Phys. Lett. 65, 403 (1994).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
15Samlenski, R., Haug, C., Brenn, R., Wild, C., Locher, R., and Koidl, P.: Incorporation of nitrogen in chemical vapor deposition diamond. Appl. Phys. Lett. 67, 2798 (1995).CrossRefGoogle Scholar