Open AccessFormations of conic surfaces on diamond films induced by hot filament assisted double-bias hydrogen plasma
Author(s) -
Meng Liang,
Jie Zhang,
Xiaodong Zhu,
Wen Xu,
Fang Ding
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
wuli xuebao
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.199
H-Index - 47
ISSN - 1000-3290
DOI - 10.7498/aps.57.2334
Subject(s) - diamond , materials science , nucleation , chemical vapor deposition , etching (microfabrication) , carbon film , reactive ion etching , plasma etching , carbon fibers , substrate (aquarium) , hydrogen , plasma , chemical engineering , nanotechnology , composite material , layer (electronics) , thin film , chemistry , composite number , physics , quantum mechanics , oceanography , organic chemistry , geology , engineering
The hot filament assisted double-bias hydrogen has been employed for the surface fabrication of the as-formed chemical vapor deposited diamond films on the nanometer scale. Diamond cone arrays are successfully prepared through hydrogen plasma etching. The intrinsic columnar structure of the diamond films leads to the unevenly distributed ion etching rate, which plays an important role in the cone formation. Simultaneously, the carbon-containing species sputtered out may re-deposit on the surface. The evolvement of the characteristic surface is thus determined by the competition between the ion etching and the carbon deposition. The application of grid electrode influences the discharge characteristics at the substrate region. By controlling the grid current, the surface structure of diamond films may be significantly tuned. Moreover, by introducing small amounts of methane in the etching process, the increased concentration of carbon-containing species enhances the secondary diamond nucleation on the film surface, which further promotes the uniformity of the diamond cone arrays.