Carbon in its various forms, specifically nanocrystalline diamond, may
become a key material for the manufacturing of micro- and
nano-electromechanical (M/NEMS) devices in the 21st Century. In order to
utilize effectively these materials for M/NEMS applications, understanding
of their microscopic structure and physical (mechanical properties, in
particular) become indispensable. The micro- and nanocrystalline diamond
films were grown using hot-filament and microwave chemical vapor deposition
techniques involving novel CH4 / [TMB for boron doping and H2S for sulfur
incorporation] in high hydrogen dilution chemistry. To investigate residual
stress distribution and intermolecular forces at nanoscale, the films were
characterized using Raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy in terms
of topography, force curves and force volume imaging. Traditional force
curve measures the force felt by the tip as it approaches and retracts from
a point on the sample surface, while force volume is an array of force
curves over an extended range of sample area. Moreover, detailed microscale
structural studies are able to demonstrate that the carbon bonding
configuration (sp2 versus sp3 hybridization) and surface chemical
termination in both the un-doped and doped diamond have a strong effect on
nanoscale intermolecular forces. The preliminary information in the force
volume measurement was decoupled from topographic data to offer new insights
into the materials's