BIAS-ENHANCED NUCLEATION OF ORIENTED DIAMOND ON SINGLE-CRYSTALLINE 6H-SIC SUBSTRATES

A bias-enhanced nucleation (BEN) technique in hot-filament chemical va por deposition (HF-CVD) has been applied to single-crystalline 6H-SiC substrates for the deposition of oriented diamond films, The results o f scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that on the (<000(1)over b ar>) face not only oriented diamond films with the relationship (111) Dia.//(<000(1)over bar>) 6H-SiC and [110] Dia.//[<11(2)over bar 0>] 6H -SiC, but also that high nucleation density (>10(9) cm(-2)) has been a chieved. In the case of deposition on the (0001) face of the GH-SIC un der the same experimental conditions, although the nucleation density of diamond was enhanced (above 10(9) cm(-2)), however, oriented diamon d was not observed, The diamond nucleation density is greater on the ( 0001) face than on the (<000(1)over bar>)) face. The differences in or iented nucleation and nucleation density on these two faces are attrib uted to the difference of their specific free surface energy and chemi cal bonds.