EFFECT OF CHROMIUM SUBSTRATE PRETREATMENT ON DIAMOND GROWTH BY THE CHEMICAL-VAPOR-DEPOSITION METHOD

The effects of nitriding and carburizing chromium substrates on the nu cleation of CVD diamond were studied. Surface morphology, incubation t ime and diamond particle density at the initial stages of deposition w ere examined using high resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM ) as a function of the substrate pretreatment. The presence of amorpho us carbon, as well as residual stress in the deposited films were dete rmined by Raman spectroscopy. The composition and structure of the nea r surface region of the samples were investigated by quantitative elec tron probe microbeam analysis (EPMA) as a function of the various pret reatments. The elemental profile across the near-surface layer was det ermined by peak deconvolution with the instrumental function of the el ectron probe. The function was approximated by a radial Gaussian distr ibution, whose parameters were determined using a Faraday cup and Mont e-Carlo simulations. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used as a complementa ry technique for the determination of substrates' phase composition fo llowing heat pretreatment and diamond deposition. EPMA appeared to be a suitable method for the investigation of carbon diffusion into the s ubstrate during the diamond CVD process.