Hydrogen detection in CVD diamond films by elastic recoil detection analysis

The hydrogen concentration in diamond films deposited by the microwave plas ma CVD method was evaluated by elastic recoil detection analysis (ERDA) usi ng He ion beam. Diamond films with similar to 500 mu m thickness were peele d off Si substrates and the hydrogen concentration was measured for both gr owth surface and backside. The hydrogen concentration of the growth surface was approximately 1.9% against the number of carbon atoms, while that of t he backside was 6.5%. By grinding both surfaces, the hydrogen concentration of the growth surface became approximately 2.6%, and that of the backside 4.2%. These results show that the hydrogen measurement by ERDA depends stro ngly on the surface roughness. In this paper, we also discuss the growth me chanism at the initial stage of diamond deposition, comparing the hydrogen concentration of the growth surface and backside of films. (C) 1999 Elsevie r Science S.A. All rights reserved.