CHARACTERIZATION OF THE NEAR-INTERFACE REGION OF CHEMICAL-VAPOR-DEPOSITED DIAMOND FILMS ON SILICON BY BACKSCATTER KIKUCHI DIFFRACTION

The lattice orientations near the interface of chemical vapor deposite d diamond films on Si(001) have been studied by orientation imaging mi croscopy. This technique is based on the automated analysis of electro n backscatter Kikuchi diffraction patterns. The electron beam has been scanned in discrete steps over the reverse side of the diamond film a fter having removed the substrate. The obtained data have allowed us t o determine the texture and to visualize quantitatively the orientatio nal arrangement of and among individual diamond crystallites in the ne ar-interface region. A comparison with the orientation of the substrat e has proved the existence of epitaxially nucleated grains. A high amo unt of twinned diamond has been deduced from the pole figures and veri fied by analysis of orientation correlations between neighboring cryst allites. Moreover, the grain boundary maps have allowed us to monitor and quantify directly the occurring twin boundaries. (C) 1994 American Institute of Physics.