TRANSMISSION ELECTRON-MICROSCOPY STUDY OF DIAMOND NUCLEATION ON 6H-SIC SINGLE-CRYSTAL WITH POSSIBILITY OF EPITAXY

Diamond has been grown on 6H-SiC single crystal wafers by microwave pl asma assisted chemical vapor deposition with a negative bias pretreatm ent. A high nucleation density of diamond on the substrate has been ac hieved. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy was employed to study the interfacial microstructure of diamond on 6H-SiC. Lattice image observations illustrate that diamond is directly formed on the 6 H-SiC substrate. The possibility of local epitaxial nucleation of diam ond on the 6H-SiC substrate and its crystallography are briefly discus sed.