等离子体刻蚀处理对金刚石膜粘附性能的影响

采用直流等离子体射流ＣＶＤ法在ＹＧ８质合金基体上成功地合成了多晶金刚薄膜。通常基体表面经金刚石磨盘研磨、稀硝酸化学侵蚀脱钴预处理后，沉积的金刚石薄膜的的粘附性能仍不理想。本文首次采用原位的Ａｒ－Ｈ２等离子体射流对基体表面进行适当的轰击、刻蚀处理，显著粗化了基体表面，并使基体表面显微组织和化学成分发生重大变化，并且在合适的沉积工艺条件下，沉积的金刚石膜的粘附性能显著提高。借助ＸＲＤ、ＳＥＥＭ、ＴＥＭ     

甲烷浓度对金刚石薄膜质量的影响

纳米金刚石薄膜具有优异的性能,已在多个领域获得广泛应用.但微波等离子体化学气相沉积制备的金刚石薄膜质量却严重受沉积工艺的影响,为了深入了解沉积工艺对制备的金刚石薄膜质量的影响,本文详细研究了甲烷浓度对微波等离子体化学气相沉积( MPCVD)金刚石薄膜质量的影响,利用扫描电镜、X射线衍射、拉曼光谱以及原子力显微镜对其进行...     

Effects of argon and oxygen addition to the CH4-H2 feed gas on diamond synthesis by microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition

In order to investigate the effects of argon and oxygen on diamond synthesis, the behaviors of diamond deposition using microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition method have been studied by varying the concentrations of argon and oxygen in the methane-hydrogen gas mixture. Diamond films were deposited on silicon wafer under the conditions of substrate temperatures: 1073 1173 K, total reaction pressure: 5333 Pa (40 Torr), methane concentrations: 0.5 5.0%, and they were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and optical emission spectroscopy. The deposition rates of diamond films were enhanced by adding argon into the methane-hydrogen system, but nondiamond carbon phases in the films also increased. It resulted from the increase of hydrocarbon radicals in the plasma. As oxygen was added, the quality of deposited diamond films was improved due to the decrease of C₂ radicals and increase of OH radicals in the plasma. Simultaneous addition of 0.3% oxygen and 20% argon has been able to effectively suppress the formation of nondiamond carbon components and increase the deposition rate of diamond films. It appears that the ionized argon (Ar⁺) and excited argon atoms (Ar*) may activate the various chemical species and promote the reactions between the gas phase species and oxygen in the plasma.     

The oxygenated phenomena of the undoped large-grain and small-grain polycrystalline diamond films

The polycrystalline diamond films in this research were deposited using a methane/hydrogen gas mixture in a microwave plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition system. Large-grain, several μm size crystallite, diamond films and small-grain, sub-micron size crystallite, diamond films were prepared by diamond paste and diamond powder nucleation method, respectively. It is found that there is no oxygen incorporated into the diamond films during the microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition process at the synthesis temperature between 900°C and 1000°C. However, the oxygenated phenomena did appear for both of the large-grain and the small-grain polycrystalline diamond films after the films were exposed to air for a period of time. It was shown that the large-grain diamond films are oxygenated more than the small-grain diamond films as the samples were exposed to air for a period of time and also after the chemical cleaning treatment. It is indicated that the oxygenated phenomena of the diamond films come from two contributors, the diamond crystallite surfaces and the diamond grain boundaries. The reaction between the diamond grain boundaries and the air is fast and the oxidized dangling bonds are hard to remove. However, the oxidized dangling bonds on the diamond crystallite surfaces are gradually formed and are easily etched away by the hydrogen plasma.     

Oxygen plasma etching of silver-incorporated diamond-like carbon films

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) film as a solid lubricant coating represents an important area of investigation related to space devices. The environment for such devices involves high vacuum and high concentration of atomic oxygen. The purpose of this paper is to study the behavior of silver-incorporated DLC thin films against oxygen plasma etching. Silver nanoparticles were produced through an electrochemical process and incorporated into DLC bulk during the deposition process using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique. The presence of silver does not affect significantly DLC quality and reduces by more than 50% the oxygen plasma etching. Our results demonstrated that silver nanoparticles protect DLC films against etching process, which may increase their lifetime in low earth orbit environment.     

用压痕试验法研究CVD金刚石膜的粘附性能

在观察与分析压入过程中CVD金刚石膜开裂方式的基础上,初步探讨了用压痕试验法评定CVD金刚石膜粘附性能的可行性．采用反映膜／基粘附性能的临界开裂或剥落载荷P_er和抗裂性参数dP／dX两指标评定了硬质合金基体表面经不同预处理方法和沉积工艺参数合成的金刚石膜的粘附性能;研究了粘附性能指标与沉积工艺参数（如甲烷浓度、沉积气压、沉积功率）之间的关系．适当的表面预处理、适中的甲烷浓度、较低的沉积气压、较高的沉积功率均有利于改善金刚石膜的粘附性能．     

Optical emission spectroscopy study of positive direct current bias enhanced diamond nucleation

High nucleation density and crystalline diamond films were deposited on a mirror-polished Si(100) substrate by horizontal microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition using a two step process consisting of positive direct current (dc) bias enhanced nucleation and growth. Optical emission spectroscopy was employed to investigate in situ the plasma emission characterization during positive biasing process. Emission lines from the Balmer series of atomic hydrogen, molecular hydrogen, CH, C₂, and Ar were observed in the visible and ultraviolet ranges when CH₄, H₂, and Ar were used as the reactant gases. The dependence of plasma emission spectra on the deposition parameters, such as biasing voltage, methane concentration and working pressure was investigated. The relative concentrations of neutral atomic hydrogen were estimated by using the Ar emission at 750.4 nm as an actinometer. A significant variation in the emission intensity of the radicals was measured with a change in the biasing voltage. The correlation between the spectra of some species and the quality of diamond films was studied. The results show that CH and C₂ both were important precursor in the diamond deposition, while C₂ was associated with the presence of amorphous phase in the films during positive dc biasing process.     

The effects of oxygen on diamond synthesis by hot-filament chemical vapor deposition

The effects of oxygen addition on the synthesis of diamond are extensively studied by using the hot-filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) method, in which it is simple and easy to control the deposition parameters independently. Diamond films are deposited on silicon wafers under the conditions of substrate temperature 530–950 C; total reaction pressure 700–8000 Pa; and methane concentration 0.4–2.4% in both CH₄–H₂ and CH₄–H₂–O₂ systems.At deposition conditions of low substrate temperature, high CH₄ concentration or high total pressure, soot-like carbon and/or graphite are deposited without oxygen addition. When even a small amount of oxygen (about 0.6%) is added, well-faceted diamond films are observed in scanning electron microscopy micrographs and a sharp diamond peak in the Raman spectra appears. The range of deposition parameters for high-quality diamond syntheses are extended by oxygen addition (low substrate temperature, high methane concentration and high reaction pressure).     

金刚石/碳化硅复合梯度膜制备研究

采用微波等离子化学气相沉积(MW-PCVD)制备金刚石/碳化硅复合梯度膜.工作气体为H₂,CH₄和Si[CH₃]₄(四甲基硅烷,TMS),其中H₂∶CH₄=100∶0.6,Si[CH₃]₄为0％-O.05％,沉积压力为3300Pa,基体温度为700℃,微波功率为700W.基体为单晶硅,在沉积前用纳米金刚石颗粒处理.沉积后的样品经扫描电子显微镜(SEM),电子探针显微分析(EPMA),X射线能量损失分析(EDX)表明:沉积膜中的碳化硅含量是随Si[CH₃]₄流量的变化而改变.通过改变Si[CH₃]₄的流量可以制备金刚石/碳化硅复合梯度膜,且梯度膜中金刚石与复合膜过渡自然平滑.     

热灯丝CVD金刚石膜的微结构和形貌对其电子性质的影响

利用热灯丝CVD法在硅衬底上合成出了金刚石膜。金刚石膜的质量和电子性质由扫描电子显微镜、拉曼谱、阴极发光及霍尔系数测量来表征。实验结果表明,沉积条件对金刚石膜电子性质和质量有重要影响。载流子迁移率随甲烷浓度增加而减少,但场发射随其增加而增强。压阻效应随微缺陷增多而降低。异质外延金刚石膜压阻因子在室温下100微形变时为1200,但含有大量缺陷的多晶金刚石膜压阻因子低于200,这是由于薄膜中缺陷态密度增加,并依赖于膜结构的变化。     

Microstructures of diamond films deposited on (100) silicon wafer by microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition

Diamond films were deposited on (1 0 0) silicon wafer by microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition. The microstructural changes of the diamond films were studied in relation to the pre-treatment of the silicon substrate, the methane concentration and the substrate temperature. The ultrasonic method for the pre-treatment of the silicon substrate increased the nucleation density, resulting in the deposition of small diamond particles. The surface morphology changed from the close-packed (1 1 1) to the (1 0 0) plane with increase in the methane concentration due to the decreased adatom mobility. The morphology also changed from (1 1 1) to (1 0 0) planes with substrate temperature, due to the effect of the increased chemical species. The change in the crystallinity with deposition time was also investigated.     

Effect of B/C ratio on the physical properties of highly boron-doped diamond films

Highly boron-doped diamond films were deposited on silicon substrate by hot filament chemical vapor deposition in a gas mixture of hydrogen and methane. The chemical bonding states, surface texture, and electrical resistivity of these films were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scan electron microscope, and four-point probe method. It was found that boron dopants play an important role in the texture and chemical bonding states of the diamond films. An appropriate concentration of boron dopants (B/C ratio of 10 000 ppm) can simultaneously improve crystal quality and reduce resistivity of the diamond films. The minimum resistivity of diamond films reaches 1.12 × 10⁻² Ω cm, which is applicable as electrodes.     

利用前后处理技术改进钛／硅基板上的类金刚石场发射特性

采用微波等离子体化学气相沉积系统存钛/硅基板上沉积类金刚石薄膜,并利用拉曼光谱仪、扫瞄式电子显微镜及原子力显微镜研究了氢等离子体前处理及快速退火后处理对类金刚石薄膜场发射特性之影响.在沉积类金刚石薄膜之前,钛/硅基板使用了两种前处理技术:第一种为研磨金刚石粉末,第二种为研磨金刚石粉末后外加氢等离子体刻蚀处理.成长类金刚石薄膜后进行快速退火处理.发现不论是氢等离子体前处理还是快速退火后处理皆能改善场发射特性,其中经退火后处理的场发射特性比氢等离子体前处理的场发射特性改善更明显.其因之一在于快速退火后处理可在类金刚石薄膜表而形成sp2丛聚,提供了很多的场发射子,也同时增加了表面粗糙度;另一个原因可能是在快速退火后处理期间会使类金刚石薄膜进一步石墨化,因而提供了许多电子在通过类金刚石薄膜时的传输路径.研究结果表明:利用适当的前后处理技术可改进类金刚石薄膜的场发射特性,进而做为冷阴极材料之应用.     

Effect of nitrogen on diamond growth using unconventional gas mixtures

The influence of nitrogen on the growth of diamond using unconventional gas mixtures of CH₄---CO₂ by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition was investigated. A clear improvement in the surface morphology and quality of the diamond films indicates the beneficial effect of adding nitrogen to CH₄-CO₂ gas mixtures. However, most interestingly, for lower methane concentration, the addition of small amounts of nitrogen resulted in the formation of isolated diamond particles possessing a vacant “cage-like” structure with completed {100} facets This result indicates that the continued addition of nitrogen gives rise to the deterioration of {111} facets and the retention of {100} facets. Analysis using Auger electron spectroscopy and secondary ion mass spectroscopy shows very low and uniform levels of nitrogen in the diamond films. Although the amount of atomic hydrogen in the ground state decreased and CN radicals increased with increasing amounts of added nitrogen, good-quality diamond films were deposited resulting from a larger amount of atomic oxygen and the decrease in the C₂ emissions in the gas phase under optimum conditions.     

微波PCVD法大尺寸透明自支撑金刚石膜的制备及红外透过率

采用微波PCVD方法制备出直径50mm膜厚300um的大尺寸透明自支撑金刚石膜.在甲烷体积分数2%的条件下制备的透明自支撑金刚石膜经过两面抛光后在500cm-1-4000cm-1红外波段范同内红外透过率达到70%,但是其生长速率只有1um/h-2um/h.在体积分数4%甲烷浓度下制备的自支撑透明金刚石膜,其生长速率达到7um/h～8um/h,经过两面抛光之后膜厚为260um的金刚石膜的在500cm-1～4000cm-1红外波段范围内红外透过率达到60%左右,而且膜中心和边缘区的红外透过率基本相同.这些结果为大尺寸金刚石厚膜在红外窗口上的实际应用奠定了基础.     

直流热阴极PCVD法间歇生长模式制备金刚石膜

采用直流热阴极PCVD(Plasma chemical vapor deposition)法间歇生长模式制备金刚石膜,通过加入周期性的刻蚀阶段清除金刚石膜在一定生长期中形成的石墨和非晶碳等杂质,实现了金刚石膜生长的质量调控。间歇式生长过程分为沉积阶段和刻蚀阶段,两个阶段交替进行。采用Raman光谱、SEM和XRD对所制金刚石膜的品质进行了表征,并与同样生长条件下连续生长模式制备的金刚石膜样品进行了比较。结果表明,当单个生长周期为30 min(沉积时间为20 min、刻蚀时间为10 min)时,直流热阴极PCVD法间歇生长模式制备的金刚石膜中的非金刚石相杂质含量低于连续间歇生长模式制备的金刚石膜。     

低偏压下化学气相沉积金刚石薄膜的生长形貌研究

在微波等离子体化学气相沉积装置中，研究了偏压电压、甲烷浓度及沉积气压对金刚石晶形显露的影响。实验结果表明，生长时施加低的衬底偏压对金刚石的晶形显露有较大的影响，正的偏压有利于(111)面显露，负偏压有利于(100)面显露。在低偏压条件下生长时，低的沉积气压和甲烷浓度有利于(111)面显露；而高的气压和甲烷浓度有利于(100)面显露。过高的甲烷浓度将恶化金刚石质量，出现菜花状组织，无明显的晶面显露。     

Microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition diamond synthesis from high carbon content source

To synthesize diamond films by microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (MPECVD), the methane concentration (CH₄/H₂)plays a crucial role. It is well-known that there always exists a critical methane concentration (≤0.6%) only below which a good quality diamond film can be obtained. In this study, however, the phenomena of diamond synthesis resulting from high carbon concentration conditions were observed. The molten metals, e.g., Ag, Cu, were used as the deposition substrates on which crystalline diamonds can be achieved from a methane content of CH₄/H₂≥6% or even from solid carbon sources. These results suggest that there may exist a low methane content boundary layer (<0.6%) in the proximity of molten metal surface on which suitable species, CH, CH⁺, H_α and H_β are composed for the diamond nucleation and growth similar to the condition as in the conventional low methane contents. The molten metal inclines to dissolve other forms of carbonaceous materials other than diamond, and thus keeps a much higher steady supply of carbon atoms that enhances the quality as well as the growth rate of the forming diamonds. Received: 23 June 2001 / Accepted: 23 July 2001     

Investigation of the nucleation mechanism in bias-enhanced diamond deposition on silicon and molybdenum

Polycrystalline diamond films were deposited on Si and Mo substrates in a microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition reactor employing bias-enhanced nucleation. The deposition process was subdivided into two consecutive steps: the pretreatment (bias-enhanced nucleation) and the diamond growth step. To investigate the nucleation process we kept the deposition parameters during the diamond growth step constant and only changed the parameters during the pretreatment. The methods employed to analyze the deposited films after the pretreatment step were electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy.

The nucleation density (N_D) on Si following the complete deposition cycle (pretreatment and diamond growth step) increases considerably from 5 × 10⁸ cm⁻² to 5 × 10¹⁰ cm⁻² with an increase in the substrate temperature during the pretreatment (T_p) in the temperature range from 680 to 750 °C. For T_p ≥ 770 °C continuous films are formed. The structure of the pretreatment deposit undergoes likewise considerable changes: if T_p exceeds 770 °C the appearance of an intense diamond plasmon at 34 eV is observed, indicative of an increase in the concentration of diamond crystallites embedded in an otherwise amorphous carbon matrix. Our experiments suggest that diamond crystallites formed during the pretreatment serve as nucleation centres for the subsequent diamond growth.

The same deposition parameters which result in the formation of a continuous diamond film on Si, yield only low nucleation densities on Mo. An increase in N_D from 6 × 10⁶ cm⁻² to 2 × 10⁸ cm⁻² can be achieved by raising the methane concentration [CH₄] in the gas phase during the pretreatment from 5 to 50% (T_p = 820 °C). The carbon concentration at the surface for the pretreatment deposit, determined by XPS analysis, increases likewise with [CH₄]. According to the EELS analysis the structure of the pretreatment deposit is comparable with disordered graphite or a-C and no diamond plasmon is observed. The high [CH₄] is required to form the Mo-carbide interface and balance the diffusion of carbon into the metal before the a-C layer can be formed.

The formation of nucleation centres during the bias-enhanced nucleation seems under these deposition conditions to proceed via different pathways on Si and Mo. While the nucleation on Si appears to be linked to the formation of diamond nanocrystals during the pretreatment, this is not the case for Mo.     

Implementation of the time-modulated process to produce diamond films using microwave-plasma and hot-filament CVD systems

A newly developed process called time-modulated chemical vapour deposition (TMCVD) was employed to deposit smooth polycrystalline diamond films onto silicon substrates using both microwave plasma CVD (MPCVD) and hot-filament CVD (HFCVD) systems. The distinctive feature of the TMCVD process, which separates it from the conventional diamond CVD process, is that it pulses methane (CH₄) at different flow rates for different time durations into the vacuum reactor during the entire diamond CVD process. Generally, both MPCVD and HFCVD systems produced results that displayed similar trends, except that the growth rate results obtained using the two CVD systems were conflicting. In comparison to the conventional CVD diamond films, the time-modulated films, deposited using both MPCVD and HFCVD techniques, were generally found to be (i) smoother, (ii) consisted of smaller diamond crystallites and (iii) displayed approx. similar film quality. The diamond-carbon phase purity of the as-grown films was assessed using Raman spectroscopy. In addition, the surface roughness, Ra, values of the deposited films were obtained using surface profilometry.