NUCLEATION OF DIAMOND IN THE CHANNELS OF ELECTRICAL BREAKDOWN IN SIC FILMS

Experimental studies were performed on the nucleation of diamond cryst als on the surface of dielectric SiC layers enriched by carbon during simultaneous carbon deposition and 20 keV H+ irradiation at 800 degree s C. The stochiometric SiC layer with thickness 10 nm was formed emplo ying processes of dynamic and cascade mixing of deposited carbon with silicon substrate under 160 keV Xe+ irradiation at 800 degrees C. Afte r deposition of a 20 nm carbon layer at room temperature onto irradiat ed Si-SiC-amorphous-C, well-shaped diamond crystals of size 7-10 mu m were found, randomly distributed on the surface. A diamond nucleation mechanism in the channels of electrical breakdown in SiC is proposed. This is followed by coalescence of the nuclei formed on the surface in to large crystals, activated by surface discharge currents.