Low temperature diamond growth using halogenated hydrocarbons
Abstract We deposited CVD diamond films at substrate temperatures Tsub below 600°C using halogen-containing precursor gases. CHF3 and C2H5Cl made possible a significant decrease in Tsub down to 370°C using hot-filament CVD technique. At lower Tsub only amorph-graphitic depositions could be obtained. The lowest substrate temperature for diamond growth Tmin depends on the deposition parameters. We find a decrease in this temperature with decreasing carbon content in the precursor gas or decreasing filament to substrate distance. These effects show the influence of both surface diffusion and concentration of radicals in the gas phase near the substrate.