NOVEL IN-SITU PRODUCTION OF SMOOTH DIAMOND FILMS

We have developed a unique method to produce smooth diamond films usin g a modified microwave plasma process system. This method consists of sequential in situ deposition and planarization in an electron cyclotr on resonance plasma system. Diamond films were deposited to a thicknes s of 3.0 mu m in this system at a pressure of 1.000 Ton: from gas mixt ures of methanol and hydrogen. Deposition was followed by planarizatio n using a two-grid ion beam extraction process with a pure oxygen plas ma at 10 mTorr, The average roughness of the diamond films so produced was as low as 30 nm, which was a factor of two lower than that of the as-deposited diamond films.