Diamond growth on steel substrates with AL-N interlayer produced by high power plasma streams

Direct deposition of diamond thin films upon ferrous substrates is dramatic ally restrained by the catalytic capability of Fe to enhance the formation of a soft carbon soot rather than diamond, and the rapid diffusion of carbo n species from substrate surface into the bulk material. In this paper, AL- N thin layers were synthesized on a steel surface with high power Al/N plas ma streams generated from a Plasma-Focus device, operated with Aluminum ele ctrodes and Nitrogen filling gas, The diamond layer deposition was then per formed on this surface within a separate hot -filament CVD system. Auger el ectron spectra X-ray photoelectron spectra, scanning electron microscope pi ctures, and Raman scattering measurements, were used to investigate the sam ples characteristics. It seems that the AL-N compound layer, obtained as de scribed above, can work well as an interlayer for the diamond growth on ste el substrates. (C) 1999 Published by Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reser ved.