DIAMOND DEPOSITION AND PLASMA DIAGNOSTICS IN A 27 MHZ INDUCTIVE COUPLED REACTOR (ICP)

An inductive coupled planar radio frequency (rf) reactor (ICP) with se parately mounted concentric coils was used to deposit diamond films on to silicon and boron nitride. A grounded Faraday polarizer was mounted on top of the reactor below the rf-coil to prevent capacitive couplin g. The electrically heated substrates were immersed in the most intens e plasma region shaped like a torus. Mainly two different argon-hydrog en-methane mixtures were used, namely Ar/H-2/CH4-250/25/0.5 seem (mixt ure #I) and Ar/H-2/CH4-50/50/0.5 seem (mixture #II). With the conditio ns of mixture #I, deposition of good quality diamond with relatively h igh growth rates (0.6-1 mu m h(-1)) has been obtained. During diamond growth the plasma was investigated by means of a Langmuir probe system (LP), providing radial distributions of several plasma parameters. Th e energy distributions of the most often occurring ions were analysed by an energy and mass spectrometer (EMS). Correlations between the mea sured parameters and the grown coatings will be given. (C) 1997 Elsevi er Science S.A.